Gandhi’s Salt March: 95 Years of an Iconic Protest

Context

• March 12, 2024, marked 95 years since Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March (Dandi March) against British rule.
• Began on March 12, 1930, from Sabarmati Ashram (Ahmedabad, Gujarat) and ended on April 6, 1930, at Dandi.
• Covered 240 miles (385 km) with 78 followers.
• Broke the Salt Law, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34).

Background: Why Salt?

• British Salt Act of 1882 gave the British a monopoly over salt production and sale.
• Indians were banned from making salt, despite its availability.
• Gandhi chose salt as a symbol of British oppression to unite people.

Key Events

• April 6, 1930 – Gandhi produced salt at Dandi, defying British law.
• British declared the Indian National Congress illegal.
• Gandhi planned to raid the Dharasana Salt Works but was arrested and jailed.
• Abbas Tyabji and later Sarojini Naidu led protests, facing police violence.

Spread of the Movement

• Bengal – Satish Chandra Dasgupta led a march to Mahisbathan.
• Bombay – K.F. Nariman led protests at Haji Ali Point.
• Tamil Nadu – C. Rajagopalachari led a march to Vedaranyam.
• Malabar, Orissa, and Bihar – Led by Kelappan, Gopabandhu Chaudhary, and Acharya Kripalani.

Other Forms of Resistance

• Boycott of British goods (cloth, liquor).
• Non-payment of taxes (Anti-Chowkidari Tax Movement).
• Tribal revolts in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Central Provinces.
• Surya Sen’s armed revolt in Chittagong against British rule.
• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s Khudai Khidmatgars (Red Shirts) led non-violent protests in NWFP.

Significance

• Global attention from leaders like Albert Einstein, Webb Miller.
• Weakened British rule, proved Satyagraha’s power.
• Inspired future civil rights movements, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight against racial segregation.
• Remains a symbol of non-violent resistance in India’s independence struggle.