Rajkumar Shukla was an illiterate peasant from Champaran, a district near the Kingdom of Nepal in the Himalayan foothills.
He was a sharecropper who had travelled to Lucknow in December 1916 to attend the annual convention of the Indian National Congress party.
He had gone to the convention to meet Gandhiji and to express his dissatisfaction with the unfair landlord system in Bihar.
He request Gandhiji’s company as he travelled to Champaran. Gandhiji, however, was unable to do so due to his busy schedule and a number of other commitments.
So, Rajkumar accompanied Gandhiji to all parts of India where Gandhiji had meetings for months. Rajkumar refuse to give up.
After witnessing his conviction, Gandhiji agreed to accompany him after attending a meeting in Calcutta.
They boarded a train from Calcutta bound for Patna. Rajkumar Shukla’s determination was instrumental in bringing Gandhi to Champaran and ensuring the success of the first civil disobedience movement.
Gandhiji brought together Bihar’s lawyers and indigo planters and made them realise the power of unity.
He stayed in Champaran for 7 months and returned on a regular basis after that. This effort for poor peasants shaped the political discourse of the new India.
Final Answer:
Rajkumar Shukla is described as ‘resolute’ because, despite being informed of Gandhi’s prior engagements in Cawnpore and other parts of the country, he refuses to leave and continues to accompany Gandhi everyplace. His resolve and determination finally impress Gandhi, and the latter agrees to his request.