Gandhis Salt March 1930

The Salt March, which took place from March to April 1930 in
India, was an act of civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi
(1869-1948) to protest British rule in India. During the march,
thousands of Indians followed Gandhi from his religious retreat
near Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea coast, a distance of some
240 miles. The march resulted in the arrest of nearly 60,000
people, including Gandhi himself. India finally was granted its
independence in 1947.
When the Indian National Congress redoubled its efforts for independence in
January 1930, many assumed Gandhi would stage his most ambitious satyagraha
campaign to date. Yet rather than launching a frontal assault on more high profile
injustices, Gandhi proposed to frame his protest around salt. As with many other
commodities, Britain had kept Indias salt trade under its thumb since the 19th
century, forbidding natives from manufacturing or selling the mineral and forcing
them to buy it at high cost from British merchants. Since salt was a nutritional
necessity in Indias steamy climate, Gandhi saw the salt laws as an inexcusable
evil.

What happened during the event?

On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi and a small band of supporters set off on a
241-mile march across western India. Gandhi had devised the walk as an act of
nonviolent protest against the British colonial governments salt monopoly,
which placed tariffs on the mineral and forbid Indians from producing it. Upon
arriving at the coastal city of Dandi in early April, he illegally collected salt from
the seaside as a symbolic act of defiance against the British Raj. His actions sent
shockwaves across the subcontinent, inspiring scores of Indians to flout the salt
tax and launch strikes and boycotts against colonial institutions. Gandhi and
some 80,000 others were soon arrested, but not before their peaceful protest had
captured the worlds attention and demonstrated the power of mass resistance to
British rule.
As Gandhi and his followers inched toward the western coastline, thousands of
Indians joined their ranks, transforming the small cadre of protestors into a mileslong procession. The New York Times and other media outlets began following
the walks progress, quoting Gandhi as he denounced the salt tax as monstrous
and chided the British for being ashamed to arrest me. In addition to
lambasting the Raj, Gandhi also used his speeches to lecture on the injustices of
the Indian caste system, which labeled the lowest classes untouchable and
deprived them of certain rights. Gandhi stunned onlookers by bathing at an
untouchable well at the village of Dabhan, and during another stop in Gajera,

he refused to begin his speech until the untouchables were allowed to sit with the
rest of the audience.

What were the causes of the event?

The high price of salt madeit unaffordable to the common man resulting in a
number of diseases arising due to iodine deficiency. Abhay Charan Das, in his
The Indian Ryot published in 1881, wrote:Then again there is a still more
wretched creature, which bears the name of labourer, whose income may be fixed
at thirty-five rupees per annum.

What were the effects of the events?

Gandhis transgression served as a signal for other Indians to join in what had
become known as the Salt Satyagraha. Over the next several weeks, supporters
across the subcontinent flocked to the seaside to illegally harvest the mineral.
Women took on a crucial role. Many boiled water to make salt, and others sold illicit
salt in city markets or led pickets in front of liquor and foreign cloth shops. It
seemed as though a spring had suddenly been released, Nehru later said. Some
80,000 people were arrested in the spree of civil disobedience, and many were
beaten by police.
Gandhi was taken into custody on May 5, after he announced his intention to lead a
peaceful raid on a government salt works at Dharasana. But even with their leader
behind bars, his followers pressed on. On May 21, some 2,500 marchers ignored
warnings from police and made an unarmed advance on the Dharasana depot.

Why is this event considered an important part of the history?

This event helped to the freedom of India, because it was the first part in the
revolution of India.

How would the world be different if this event had not occurred?
Well, in my opinion I think that in the absence of this event the world would have
been a place where there would be more repression and violation of human
rights.

Conclusion
The message of this event, no doubt, is fighting for our ideals, even if it costs us
our freedom.
Mahatma Gandhi was the one who fought to achieve their goals in life. Thanks to
his efforts, India was released and his mission was accomplished.

Gandhis Salt March 1930

The Salt March, which took place from March to April 1930 in
India, was an act of civil disobedience led by Mohandas Gandhi
(1869-1948) to protest British rule in India. During the march,
thousands of Indians followed Gandhi from his religious retreat
near Ahmedabad to the Arabian Sea coast, a distance of some
240 miles. The march resulted in the arrest of nearly 60,000
people, including Gandhi himself. India finally was granted its
independence in 1947.
When the Indian National Congress redoubled its efforts for
independence in January 1930, many assumed Gandhi would
stage his most ambitious satyagraha campaign to date.

What happened during the event?

On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi and a small band of supporters set off on a
241-mile march across western India. Gandhi had devised the walk as an act of
nonviolent protest against the British colonial governments salt monopoly,
which placed tariffs on the mineral and forbid Indians from producing it. Upon
arriving at the coastal city of Dandi in early April, he illegally collected salt from
the seaside as a symbolic act of defiance against the British Raj. His actions sent
shockwaves across the subcontinent, inspiring scores of Indians to flout the salt
tax and launch strikes and boycotts against colonial institutions. Gandhi and
some 80,000 others were soon arrested, but not before their peaceful protest had
captured the worlds attention and demonstrated the power of mass resistance to
British rule.

What were the causes of the event?

The high price of salt made it unaffordable to the common man resulting in a
number of diseases arising due to iodine deficiency. Abhay Charan Das, in his
The Indian Ryot published in 1881, wrote: Then again there is a still more
wretched creature, which bears the name of labourer, whose income may be fixed
at thirty-five rupees per annum.

What were the effects of the events?

Gandhis transgression served as a signal for other Indians to join in what had
become known as the Salt Satyagraha. Over the next several weeks, supporters
across the subcontinent flocked to the seaside to illegally harvest the mineral.
Women took on a crucial role. Many boiled water to make salt, and others sold illicit
salt in city markets or led pickets in front of liquor and foreign cloth shops. It
seemed as though a spring had suddenly been released, Nehru later said. Some
80,000 people were arrested in the spree of civil disobedience, and many were
beaten by police.

Why is this event considered an important part of the history?

This event helped to the freedom of India, because it was the first part in the
revolution of India.

How would the world be different if this event had not occurred?
Well, in my opinion I think that in the absence of this event the world would have
been a place where there would be more repression and violation of human
rights.

Conclusion

The message of this event, no doubt, is fighting for our ideals, even if it costs us
our freedom.
Mahatma Gandhi was the one who fought to achieve their goals in life. Thanks to
his efforts, India was released and his mission was accomplished.