Dandi March (Salt March) 1930
March 12th, 2020 marks 90 years since the start of the Dandi March / Salt March by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 in protest against the British Salt Tax.
British Salt Tax
After the declaration of Poorna Swaraj in 1930, the National Movement leaders had decided to adopt civil disobedience as a tool of protest. Mahatma Gandhi chose to do this by breaking the salt tax. The 1882 Salt Act prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt. Violation of the act was considered a criminal offence. The tax affected every section of the society-even the poorest- and hence was an excellent unifying cause.
The Dandi March
The Salt March or the Dandi March was commenced on March 12th, 1930 and extended for a period of 24 days. The march extended for 384km from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in Gujarat. The salt law was broken by Gandhi on April 6th when he collected salt from mud.
Satyagraha
The term ‘satyagraha’, meaning ‘truth force’, is a type of non-violent civil resistance used by Mahatma Gandhi to fight colonialism. It later influenced other world leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. It is different from passive resistance (which doesn’t lay emphasis on the truth part).
