Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March: Here's everything you need to know about historic event

On 12 March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi embarked on the historic Salt March.  Also known as the Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, the march was undertaken as a non-violent protest against the oppressive salt tax enacted by the British government. Gandhi undertook the march from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi village in Gujarat.

The 24-day long march, which was based on Gandhi’s principle of satyagraha, marked the start of the Civil Disobedience Movement in India.

On the 92nd anniversary of the Dandi March, here’s all you need to know about the historic event:

• The 1882 Salt Act had given the British a monopoly over the production and sale of salt. Though the product was freely available on the coasts of India, people in the country were forced to buy salt from the British government. The government had also levied a steep tax on the staple ingredient.
• Gandhi believed that salt was the one item that could launch a mass movement against British rule in the country.
• On 8 March, 1930, he announced his intention to break the salt law at a gathering in Ahmedabad. On 12 March, Gandhi, along with several supporters, started off from the Sabarmati Ashram.
• As the Salt March gathered momentum, thousands of people joined Gandhi as he made his way to Dandi.
• On his way to the coastal village, Gandhi stopped in several villages to mobilise people against the tyrannical colonial rule. The Father of the Nation gave several fiery speeches to motivate people to join the resistance against the British government.
• On 5 April, Gandhi reached the Dandi village. The very next day, Bapu walked to the sea and held some lumps of natural salt in his hand. ““With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire”, were Gandhi’s words on the momentous occasion.
• The Father of the nation was soon arrested and sent to Yerwada Central Jail.
• The Dandi March, which was covered significantly in the press of that time, launched the Civil Disobedience Movement in India. Thousands of people broke the salt law and other colonial rules to protest against the British government. The march also led to global attention towards the Indian independence movement

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