l palace while he is still organizing and conducting a defiant campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the King-Emperor.”
On bended knees I asked for bread and I have got stones instead
Lord Irwin’s reply was predictable. He spoke of the disturbance to law and order. Gandhiji remarked: “On bended knees I asked for bread and I have received stones instead.” True to his word, he set about the practical task of organizing a pada yatra to protest the salt tax. Gandhiji, together with his team of satyagrahis, congress workers and supporters drew up a concrete action plan for the protest march. On March 12, 1930, Gandhiji, with 78 supporters, would march from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmadabad to Dandi, a sea side village in Gujarat (a distance of 241 miles) and break the salt law. On March 11, Gandhiji addressed a group of about 10,000 people and said: “In all probability, this will be my last speech to you. Even if the government allows me to march tomorrow morning, this will be my last speech on the sacred banks of the Sabarmati. Possibly, these may be the last words of my life here.” Gandhiji had no illusions about what the government could do. He was determined to go through with the march even if it cost him his life. It was this kind of grit and sacrifice that mesmerized the ordinary Indian. As he spoke, so he acted.
We have looked upon Dandi as Hardwar
At 6:30 a.m on March 12, Gandhiji and his band started the march after prayers followed by a huge crowd. Gandhiji used religious symbolism to convey the importance of the Dandi March: “My feeling is like that of the pilgrim to Amarnath or Badri-Kedar. For me this is nothing less than a holy pilgrimage.” Again on March 28 he said: “We have looked upon Dandi as Hardwar. Let us become worthy of entering a place as holy as Hardwar.” Gandhiji was prepared for the inevitable government backlash. In a speech on March 29 he said: “For me there is no turning back whether I am alone or joined by thousands. I would rather die a dog’s death and have my bones licked by dogs then that I should return to the ashram a broken man.”
With this (salt) I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire
On April 6, 1930 after prayers and a sea bath, Gandhiji defied the salt law by bending down and picking up a lump of natural salt from the Dandi beach. He said: “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” The salt in Gandhiji’s palm became a statement of India’s determination to win freedom. Talking to the thousands who poured out to support him, Gandhiji said: “Now that the technical or ceremonial breach of the Salt Law has been committed, it is open to anyone who would risk prosecution under the Salt Law to manufacture salt, wherever he wishes and wherever it is convenient.” Millions broke the Salt Law. People lined the streets with small packets of salt and sold them to anyone willing to buy for a few coins. At least 95,000 people were arrested. Nehru was thrown in jail on April 14th. (Pic is re shared courtesy: www.simplyknowledge.com)
Are you Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi?
The manner in which Gandhiji was arrested is a testimony to the power of the man and his mission. The District Magistrate along with 30 policemen with rifles and two policemen with pistols broke into the Mahatma’s room like thieves. They woke up the sleeping Mahatma at the dead of night – 12.45 a.m - at Karadi, three miles from Dandi. They did not dare to switch on the light in the room of the frail, unarmed, sixty one year old Mahatma. The magistrate flashed torchlight into his face and asked: “Are you Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi?’ and arrested him. Gandhiji was allowed to say his prayers and pick up a few personal items. He was whisked off in a van to Yerwada jail by 1:10 a.m. The government was afraid of a backlash from the thousands who supported Gandhiji. (Still from the film ‘Gandhi’ is re shared courtesy: www.youtube.com)
Saluting the Rajya Guru
The Dandi March is a great life lesson for all of us – not because of its phenomenal success in the long term but because it teaches the