One of the momentous events in the history of Indian struggle for independence was the Dandi Salt March,

launched under the unparalleled leadership of M K Gandhi. With this historic event, The Civil Disobedience Movement was formally introduced on a nation-wide basis. Within the context of the Indian freedom struggle, the Dandi Salt March holds a place of paramount importance. The entire nation coalesced under the call of a single man, internalizing the cherished doctrines of ahimsa or non violence, and satyagraha or passive resistance. With an awakened political consciousness, all segments of the Indian community plunged into a battle, which till date is an instance of the indefatigable power of civilian resistance.

The political and social milieu of India was in turmoil following the formation of the Simon Commission for drawing up a constitution for India and the subsequent rejection of the Nehru Report. Gandhi requested the Viceroy, Lord Irwin, to mellow his stance in dealing with the constitutional crisis. On March 2nd 1930, Gandhi wrote a letter to the Viceroy wherein he highlighted an 11 point Charter of Demands. This included a considerable reduction in the Pound-Sterling-Rupee exchange rate, curtailing of military budget, a fifty percent reduction in land revenue, preservation of indigenous textile machinery, abolition of Salt Tax and releasing political prisoners. The British government did not react favorably to any of the propositions made by the Congress. The political segment of the country took no time to realize that the British government would not relent to any kind of persuasions. Anti British sentiments flared up as never before and the launch of a civil disobedience movement became inevitable. On February 15th, the Congress Working committee gave the authority to Gandhi and his followers to initiate the civil disobedience. The first step in this direction was the Dandi March.

Violation of British laws constituted an integral part of civil disobedience. The British salt tax law captured the attention of Gandhi and soon became the center of his anti British agendas. According to the British salt tax law, the sale or manufacture of salt by any other source barring the British government would be adjudged as a criminal offense, liable for punishment by law. Salt was extremely essential for the people of India, particularly for its temperate climate. The lowlying coastal regions of the country had extensive reserves of the mineral that were easily available to the laborers. The new salt tax law, however, impelled them to purchase the mineral that could be collected free of cost. In Gandhi's words; "There is no article like salt, outside water, by taxing which the sate can reach even the starving millions, the sick, the maimed and the utterly helpless.

The tax constitutes, therefore, the most in human poll tax, the ingenuity of man can devise." Moreover, the issue of salt cut across class, caste, regional and ethnic distinctions and Gandhi could unite the entire country bound by a single cause. This oppressive salt tax law thus became the pivot around which the program of civil disobedience was designed. The British salt tax law provided the apt background against which a massive satyagraha struggle could be launched, throughout the country.

When the Viceroy turned a deaf ear to the pleas of Gandhi, a disheartened Mahatma said; "On bended knees I asked for bread and I have received stone instead". In the letter to Lord Irwin, Gandhi had mentioned; "If my letter makes no appeal to your heart, on the eleventh day of his month I shall proceed with such co-workers of the Ashram as I can take, to disregard the provision of the Salt Laws." To give effect to this promise made by Gandhi in his letter to Lord Irwin, on the historic day of March 12th, he embarked on his Dandi March. Gandhi's entourage consisted of seventy nine members of his Sabarmati Ashram, who were well trained in the principles of satyagraha.

As part of the preparation of this massive satyagraha campaign, Gandhi addressed a mass meeting on 10th March attended by the inmates of the Sabarmati ashram. At the prayer meeting on 11th March at Sabarmati Ashram, Gandhi invoked the inner strength of the satyagrahis and resolved to continue their non violent means of passive resistance until swaraj could be achieved in India. Finally, on 12th March at 6.30 a.m., Gandhi set out on his two hundred miles long journey, from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in the company of his few chosen followers. In this journey to Dandi, Gandhi's trail increased in size as thousands of inspired followers joined him in his march.

On 13th March Gandhi delivered a speech at Bareja, where he invited the villagers among whom there was a considerable number of Christians and Muslims, to join hands in supporting the cause of India's freedom. In his 14th March speech at Vasana, Gandhi asked the amassed audience whether they would believe him, if he made a prediction that a day would dawn when the British would apologize to the Indians. Gandhi addressed to the people of Dabhan on March 15th. In this speech he appealed to the people that if they have the armor of inner strength, they should boycott Government jobs, endorse khadi, reject foreign made goods and abandon alcohol. Armed with an innate commitment to the eternal spirit of truth and self righteousness, they should join the army of salt satyagrahis.

On 17th March Gandhi delivered a speech at Anand, wherein he urged the students to withdraw from their academic pursuits, until the salt satyagraha campaign achieved its goal. On 23rd March, he challenged the British government's capability to arrest him although he had embarked on a mission to disobey British laws. In the speech delivered on 25th March, Gandhi declared that he had decided to stay at the residence of a Muslim friend, from where he would undertake his satyagraha struggle. In his way Gandhi sought to garner the support of the Muslim community as well in his satyagraha campaign against the unjust British salt tax law.

On 26th March, 28th March and 29th March, Gandhi delivered speeches at Ankleshwar, the bank of River Keem and Bhatgam respectively. In Bhatgam, Gandhi condemned indulgence and extravagance and said that there is no place for these in a satyagraha campaign. Addressing the cloth merchants of Bombay who attended his speech at Sandihiyer on March 30th, Gandhi said that the involvement of the merchant class in the satyagraha struggle signifies their commitment to the cause of Indian's struggle for freedom.

On April 5th, Gandhi addressed the associated press at Dandi. He appreciated the government for resorting to absolute non interference, while he was on his march to Dandi. With the blessings of God, he communicated his noble intention to initiate civil disobedience in the company of his followers on 6th April. Since the incident of Jallianwallah Bagh massacre, 6th April had come to symbolize a day of self abasement and purging of the soul. The day, declared Gandhi would begin with fasting and prayer. On 6th March, Gandhi, on the Dandi beach, breached the British salt laws. He picked up a fistful of salt and mud and manufactured salt by boiling it in sea water. He urged his followers to violate the British Salt Tax law by manufacturing salt all along the sea coast. It was decided that the crusade against the salt tax would be carried on till April 13th that mark the National Week.

The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist British occupation of India through non-violent means. Protestors would refuse to buy British goods, adopt the use of local handicrafts, picket liquor shops, and try to uphold the Indian values of honor and integrity.

The Gandhian ideals of ahimsa or non-violence, and his ability to rally hundreds of thousands of common citizens towards the cause of Indian independence, were first seen on a large scale in this movement. Among the significant causes of this movement were colonial oppression, exemplified by the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh massacre, economic hardships to the common man due to a large chunk of Indian wealth being exported to Britain, ruin of Indian artisans due to British factory-made goods replacing handmade goods, and popular resentment with the British over Indian soldiers dying in World War I while fighting as part of the British Army, in battles that otherwise had nothing to do with India.

The calls of early political leaders like Mohammad Ali Jinnah (who later became communal and hardened his stand), Annie Besant, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak forhome rule were accompanied only by petitions and major public meetings. They never resulted in disorder or obstruction of government services. Partly due to that, the British did not take them very seriously. The non-cooperation movement aimed to ensure that the colonial economic and power structure would be seriously challenged, and British authorities would be forced to take notice of the people's demands.

Gandhi employed non-cooperation, non-violence and peaceful resistance as his "weapons" in the struggle against the British Raj. In Punjab, theJallianwala Bagh massacre of civilians by British troops (also known as the Amritsar Massacre) caused deep trauma to the nation, leading to increased public anger and acts of violence. Gandhi criticised both the actions of the British Raj and the retaliatory violence of Indians. He authored the resolution offering condolences to British civilian victims and condemning the riots which, after initial opposition in the party, was accepted following Gandhi's emotional speech advocating his principle that all violence was evil and could not be justified.[35] After the massacre and subsequent violence, Gandhi began to focus on winning complete self-government and control of all Indian government institutions, maturing soon into Swaraj or complete individual, spiritual, political independence.

In December 1921, Gandhi was invested with executive authority on behalf of the Indian National Congress. Under his leadership, the Congress was reorganised with a new constitution, with the goal of Swaraj. Membership in the party was opened to anyone prepared to pay a token fee. A hierarchy of committees was set up to improve discipline, transforming the party from an elite organisation to one of mass national appeal. Gandhi expanded his non-violence platform to include the swadeshi policy the boycott of foreign-made goods, especially British goods. Linked to this was his advocacy that khadi (homespun cloth) be worn by all Indians instead of British-made textiles..

Gandhi exhorted Indian men and women, rich or poor, to spend time each day spinning khadi in support of the independence movement.[36] Gandhi even invented a small, portable spinning wheel that could be folded into the size of a small typewriter.[37] This was a strategy to inculcate discipline and dedication to weeding out the unwilling and ambitious and to include women in the movement at a time when many thought that such activities were not respectable activities for women. In addition to boycotting British products, Gandhi urged the people to boycott British educational institutions and law courts, to resign from government employment, and to forsake British titles and honours

An example demonstrates popularity of Gandhi, importance of participation of people in the freedom movement and Gandhi's words on worth of sacrifice. While he was popularising Khadi in rural Orissa, an aged poor woman who was listening to a speech by Gandhi fought her way to where he was, touched his feet and put a onepaise copper coin in front of him. Gandhi accepted the coin and thanked her. He said toJamnalal Bajaj about it as[38]: "This coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees."

"Non-cooperation" enjoyed widespread appeal and success, increasing excitement and participation from all strata of Indian society. Yet, just as the movement reached its apex, it ended abruptly as a result of a violent clash in the town of Chauri Chaura, Uttar Pradesh, in February 1922. Fearing that the movement was about to take a turn towards violence, and convinced that this would be the undoing of all his work, Gandhi called off the campaign of mass civil disobedience.[39] According to Andrew Roberts, this was the third time that Gandhi had called off a major campaign, "leaving in the lurch more than 15,000 supporters who were jailed for the cause".[40] Gandhi was arrested on 10 March 1922, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years' imprisonment. He began his sentence on 18 March 1922. He was released in February 1924 for an appendicitis operation, having served only 2 years.

Without Gandhi's unifying personality, the Indian National Congress began to splinter during his years in prison, splitting into two factions, one led by Chitta Ranjan Das and Motilal Nehru favouring party participation in the legislatures, and the other led by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, opposing this move. Furthermore, cooperation among Hindus and Muslims, which had been strong at the height of the non-violence campaign, was breaking down. Gandhi attempted to bridge these differences through many means, including a threeweek fast in the autumn of 1924, but with limited success.[41] This may have been due to Gandhi's "uncanny ability to irritate and frustrate" India's Muslim leadership.[40]

MRS. MUKTA KOHLI

NEEHA RAGHAV
10th A