Pir Muhammad Munis, a fearless Hindi journalist from Champaran, played a pivotal - but often overlooked - role in igniting India’s first Satyagraha. In early 1917, local farmer Rajkumar Shukla approached Gandhi to highlight the plight of indigo farmers. Munis crafted a powerful letter - “Our sad tale is much worse than what you… suffered in South Africa” - that struck a chord and spurred Gandhi’s visit.

The British saw Munis’s influence as dangerous. A colonial report labeled him a “hoodlum journalist” who exposed the peasants’ suffering and drew Gandhi to the region.When Gandhi arrived in Champaran on 10 April 1917, Munis was there, offering both strategic guidance and linguistic support - he even helped Gandhi learn Hindi.

Through his bold journalism - in publications like Pratap and Desh - Munis amplified Champaran’s grievances, fueling the momentum for mass resistance. His activism helped pave the way for the Champaran Agrarian Act of 1918, which ended oppressive colonial crop laws. Yet, his contribution remains underpinned by obscurity rather than accolade.

Pir Muhammad Munis may not be in every history book, but his pen lit the spark of one of India’s most defining freedom struggles.