Ruling the Countryside — Social Studies STD 8 — Question
CBSE BoardEnglish MediumSTD 8Social StudiesRuling the Countryside4 Marks
Question
How was indigo produced?
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Answer
After the harvest, the indigo plant was taken to the vats, the storage or fermenting vessel, in the indigo factory.
Three or four vats were needed to manufacture the dye. Each vat had a separate function.
The leaves stripped off the indigo plant were first soaked in warm water in a vat for several hours.
When the plants fermented, the liquid began to boil and bubble.
After that rotten leaves were taken out and the liquid was drained into another vat. In the second vat, the solution was continuously stirred and beaten with paddles.
When the liquid slowly turned green and then blue, lime water was added to the vat.
The indigo separated out in flakes, a muddy sediment settled at the bottom of the vat and a clear liquid rose to the surface.
The liquid was drained off and the sediment-the indigo pulp-was transferred to another vat and then pressed and dried for sale.
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