Salt March facts for kids

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Salt March

Gandhi leading his followers on the famous Salt March to abolish the British salt laws.
Date	12 March 1930 – 5 April 1930
Location	Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Also known as	Dandi Salt March, Dandi Salt Satyagraha
Participants	Mahatma Gandhi and 78 others

The Salt March, also known as the Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, was a major event in India's fight for freedom from British rule. It was a peaceful protest led by Mahatma Gandhi. This 24-day march happened from March 12 to April 5, 1930. It was a way to protest against the British government's unfair salt laws. These laws made it illegal for Indians to make their own salt and forced them to buy expensive salt from the British.

Gandhi started the march with 78 trusted volunteers. They walked 387 kilometres (240 mi) from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, a village by the sea. Many more Indians joined them along the way. On April 6, 1930, Gandhi broke the salt laws by picking up a lump of salty mud. This act inspired millions of Indians to also break the unfair salt laws.

After making salt at Dandi, Gandhi continued his journey, making salt and speaking to people. The Indian National Congress (a political party) planned another protest at the Dharasana Salt Works. However, Gandhi was arrested on May 4, 1930, before this protest could happen. The Dandi March and the later Dharasana Satyagraha brought worldwide attention to India's fight for independence. Many newspapers and newsreels covered these events. Even though over 60,000 Indians were jailed, the British did not make big changes right away.

The Salt Satyagraha was based on Gandhi's idea of satyagraha, which means "truth-force" or "insistence on truth". It is a way of protesting peacefully without using violence. In the early 1920s, the Indian National Congress chose satyagraha as their main way to gain self-rule from the British. Gandhi picked the 1882 British Salt Act as the first target for this peaceful protest. The Salt March and the beatings of peaceful protesters at Dharasana showed the world how powerful civil disobedience could be. Gandhi's ideas and the Dandi March even influenced American civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s. This march was a huge challenge to British power and helped start the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement.

The Idea of Civil Disobedience

Mahatma Gandhi, Mithuben Petit, and Sarojini Naidu during the March.

On December 31, 1929, the Indian National Congress (INC) raised the Indian flag in Lahore. Led by Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, they declared that India wanted complete self-rule, called Purna Swaraj. This declaration, made on January 26, 1930, meant "complete self-rule" in Sanskrit. It also said that Indians were ready to stop paying taxes.

The declaration stated that Indians had the right to freedom and a good life. It said that if a government takes away these rights, people have the right to change or remove that government. The British government in India had taken away Indian freedom and exploited the people. Because of this, India needed to break away from British rule and achieve Purna Swaraj.

The Congress leaders gave Gandhi the job of organizing the first act of civil disobedience. They knew Gandhi might be arrested, and they were ready to continue the movement. Gandhi decided to start with a protest against the British salt tax. The 1882 Salt Act gave the British full control over making and collecting salt. It also put a tax on salt. Even though salt was easy to get from the sea, Indians had to buy it from the government. Breaking this law was a crime.

Why Salt?

When Gandhi first suggested protesting the salt tax, many leaders of the Congress Party were surprised. Some, like Jawaharlal Nehru, weren't sure about it. Even a major newspaper, The Statesman, joked about the idea.

The British government also didn't take the salt protest seriously. The Viceroy, Lord Irwin, wrote that the idea of a salt campaign didn't worry him.

But Gandhi had good reasons for choosing salt. Salt was something everyone used every day, rich or poor. This meant the protest could connect with all people, not just those interested in politics. The salt tax also hurt the poorest Indians the most.

Gandhi explained his choice by saying, "Next to air and water, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life." Other leaders soon understood the power of salt as a symbol. Nehru later said that the public's response was like "a spring had been suddenly released."

What is Satyagraha?

Gandhi believed strongly in nonviolent civil disobedience, which he called satyagraha. He saw it as the way for India to gain self-rule. Gandhi believed that the way you achieve something is as important as the goal itself. He wrote that if the methods used are not pure, the result will not be true progress.

Satyagraha comes from the Sanskrit words Satya (truth) and Agraha (insistence on). For Gandhi, satyagraha was more than just "passive resistance." It was a powerful way to fight using nonviolent methods. He said that truth means love, and firmness creates force. So, satyagraha means "the Force which is born of Truth and Love or nonviolence."

Gandhi's first big satyagraha in India was the non-cooperation movement from 1920 to 1922. It brought millions of Indians together to protest British laws. However, violence broke out in Chauri Chaura, and Gandhi stopped the protest. He felt that Indians were not yet ready for completely nonviolent resistance. The Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928 was much more successful. It helped paralyze the British government and won important changes. It also gained a lot of attention from the press. Gandhi later said that Bardoli's success showed him that satyagraha was the path to self-rule. Many people who joined the Dandi March had also been part of the Bardoli protests.

Getting Ready for the March

On February 5, newspapers reported that Gandhi would start civil disobedience by breaking the salt laws. The salt satyagraha would begin on March 12 and end in Dandi on April 6. Gandhi chose April 6 because it was the first day of "National Week," which started in 1919 with a national strike against unfair British laws.

Gandhi prepared the world's media for the march. He gave regular updates from his Ashram and spoke to reporters. He often said he expected to be arrested, which made the event even more dramatic. He called it "a life and death struggle, a holy war." Reporters from many countries and film companies came to cover the event.

For the march, Gandhi wanted very strict discipline and a strong commitment to nonviolence. He chose marchers from his own ashram, who were trained in his rules. The 24-day march would go through 4 districts and 48 villages. The route was carefully planned to get the most support. Gandhi sent people ahead to each village to help him plan his speeches based on the local needs. All the events were announced in Indian and foreign newspapers.

On March 2, 1930, Gandhi wrote to the Viceroy, Lord Irwin. He offered to stop the march if Irwin met eleven demands, including lowering land taxes and ending the salt tax. He told Irwin that if his letter didn't change his mind, he would break the salt laws on March 11. He called the salt tax the most unfair tax for the poor.

As mentioned, the Viceroy did not take the protest seriously and refused to meet Gandhi. Gandhi then said, "On bended knees, I asked for bread and I have received stone instead." The night before the march, thousands of Indians came to Sabarmati to hear Gandhi speak. An American writer called it "perhaps the most remarkable call to war that has ever been made."

The March to Dandi

On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and 78 followers began their walk to Dandi. Dandi was a coastal village in Gujarat, about 385 km from their starting point at Sabarmati Ashram. The marchers came from all parts of India and represented different groups. The Salt March was also called the White Flowing River because the marchers wore white Khadi clothes.

According to The Statesman, a government newspaper, 100,000 people gathered on the road between Sabarmati and Ahmedabad. The first day's walk ended in Aslali village, where Gandhi spoke to about 4,000 people. In Aslali and other villages, volunteers collected donations and signed up new protesters. Village officials also resigned from their jobs to show they would no longer work with the British.

As the marchers entered each village, crowds cheered them on with drums and cymbals. Gandhi gave speeches saying the salt tax was cruel and that the salt protest was a "poor man's struggle." They slept outdoors every night. The villagers only had to provide food and water. Gandhi believed this would help the poor join the fight for self-rule.

Thousands of people, including leaders like Sarojini Naidu, joined the march. Each day, more people joined, making the procession over 3 km long. To keep their spirits up, the marchers sang the Hindu song Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram. In Surat, 30,000 people greeted them. By the time they reached Dandi, over 50,000 people had gathered. Gandhi gave interviews and wrote articles along the way. Foreign journalists and film companies made Gandhi famous in Europe and America. New York Times wrote about the Salt March almost every day. Near the end of the march, Gandhi said, "I want world sympathy in this battle of right against might."

When he arrived at the seashore on April 5, Gandhi spoke to a reporter. He said he was surprised the government hadn't stopped the march. He hoped it meant a change of heart, but he believed the British would continue to exploit India. He wondered if the government would allow people to break the salt laws the next day.

Mahatma Gandhi at Dandi Beach 6 April 1930. Standing behind him is his second son Manilal Gandhi and Mithuben Petit.

The next morning, after a prayer, Gandhi picked up a lump of salty mud and declared, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." He then boiled it in seawater to make illegal salt. He told his followers to do the same along the coast and teach others. Sarojini Naidu cheered him on, shouting, Hail, law breaker. After Gandhi broke the laws, about 700 telegrams were sent from the nearest post office, mostly by journalists sharing the news.

The First Marchers

78 marchers started the journey with Gandhi. Most were young, between 20 and 30 years old. They came from almost every part of India. Many more people joined later, but this list shows the original 78 who walked with Gandhi from start to finish.

A special memorial has been built at IIT Bombay to honor these brave people who took part in the Dandi March.

Widespread Civil Disobedience

Gandhi at a public rally during the Salt Satyagraha.

After Gandhi broke the salt laws, millions of people across India followed his example. They made their own salt or bought illegal salt. Salt made by Gandhi himself was sold for a lot of money. In response, the British government arrested over 60,000 people.

The Salt Satyagraha quickly grew into a bigger movement. Indians boycotted British clothes and goods. People in some areas refused to pay unfair forest taxes. Farmers in Gujarat refused to pay land taxes, even if it meant losing their crops. The British tried to stop the movement with new laws and by banning the Congress Party. But these actions did not slow down the civil disobedience.

There were some outbreaks of violence in cities like Kolkata and Karachi. During this time, the British government in power tried to stop the movement. They also tried to stop workers' rights movements in India.

The Peshawar Incident

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan with Mahatma Gandhi

In Peshawar, a Muslim follower of Gandhi named Ghaffar Khan led the satyagraha. He had trained 50,000 nonviolent activists called Khudai Khidmatgar. On April 23, 1930, Ghaffar Khan was arrested. A crowd of his followers gathered peacefully in Peshawar's Qissa Kahani Bazaar. British soldiers were ordered to fire on the unarmed crowd. Many people were killed. The nonviolent protesters faced the bullets bravely. One British Indian Army soldier and some others refused to fire at the crowds. They were arrested and received harsh punishments.

The Vedaranyam Salt March

C. Rajagopalachari leading the march

While Gandhi marched on India's west coast, his friend C. Rajagopalachari led a similar march on the east coast. Rajagopalachari later became India's first Indian Governor-General. His group started from Tiruchirappalli and walked to the coastal village of Vedaranyam. After making illegal salt there, he was also arrested by the British.

Women Join the Fight

The civil disobedience movement in 1930 was the first time many women joined the fight for freedom. Thousands of women, from big cities to small villages, became active in the satyagraha. Gandhi had initially asked only men to join the salt march. However, women soon began making and selling salt all over India.

One activist, Usha Mehta, remembered that even old aunts and grandmothers would make illegal salt at home. Then they would shout, "We have broken the salt law!" Lord Irwin, the Viceroy, called the growing number of women in the movement a "new and serious feature." A government report noted that thousands of women came out of their homes to join protests. Their presence made it harder for the police to act.

Sarojini Naidu was a very important leader. She was the president of the Indian National Congress and the first woman governor of free India. She worked hard to get support for India's independence. She was also the first woman arrested during the salt march.

Impact of the Movement

British documents show that the government was worried by the satyagraha. They were unsure whether to arrest Gandhi or not. One British police officer wrote that he felt sick dealing with the peaceful protests. British officials preferred fighting violent opponents rather than nonviolent ones.

Dharasana Salt Works and What Happened Next

Sarojini Naidu leading the Salt March to Dharasana Salt Works

Gandhi did not take part in more marches after Dandi, but he stayed in touch with events across India. He set up a temporary ashram near Dandi. From there, he encouraged women in Bombay to protest against liquor shops and foreign cloth. He said that foreign cloth should be burned and that schools and colleges should be emptied.

For his next big action, Gandhi planned a raid on the Dharasana Salt Works in Gujarat. This was 40 km south of Dandi. He wrote to Lord Irwin again about his plans. Around midnight on May 4, while Gandhi was sleeping, he was arrested. He was jailed without a trial near Poona.

The Dharasana Satyagraha still went ahead as planned. Abbas Tyabji, a 76-year-old retired judge, led the march with Gandhi's wife, Kasturba, by his side. Both were arrested before reaching Dharasana. After their arrests, Sarojini Naidu, a poet and freedom fighter, led the march. She warned the protesters, "You must not use any violence under any circumstances. You will be beaten, but you must not resist." Soldiers then beat the protesters with steel-tipped sticks. This event gained international attention.

An American journalist, Webb Miller, reported on the beatings. His first attempts to send the story were stopped by British telegraph operators. Only after he threatened to expose the censorship was his story allowed to pass. The story appeared in 1,350 newspapers worldwide.

The Salt Satyagraha succeeded in getting the world's attention. Millions saw newsreels of the march. Time magazine named Gandhi its "Man of the Year" in 1930. Civil disobedience continued until early 1931, when Gandhi was released from prison. He then held talks with Irwin, which led to the Gandhi–Irwin Pact.

Long-Term Impact

A 2005 stamp sheet of India dedicated to the Salt March

The Salt Satyagraha did not immediately lead to India's full independence or major changes from the British. It also didn't get much support from Muslims. Congress leaders decided to end satyagraha as an official policy in 1934. However, even though the British were back in control by the mid-1930s, people in India and around the world started to see that Gandhi and the Congress Party were right to demand self-rule. The satyagraha campaign showed the British that their control over India depended on Indians agreeing to be ruled. The Salt Satyagraha was a big step in the British losing that agreement.

Jawaharlal Nehru felt the Salt Satyagraha was a high point in his work with Gandhi. He believed its most important effect was changing the attitudes of Indians. He said that the movements gave people self-respect and self-reliance. They became brave and did not easily give in to unfair treatment. Their view widened, and they started thinking about India as a whole. Nehru called this a "remarkable transformation" and gave credit to the Congress under Gandhi's leadership.

More than 30 years later, the Satyagraha and the March to Dandi greatly influenced American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.. He used Gandhi's ideas in his fight for civil rights for Black people in the 1960s. King said he was deeply fascinated by Gandhi's nonviolent resistance campaigns, especially the Salt March. He learned that love could be a powerful force for social change.

Re-enactment in 2005

To remember the Great Salt March, the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation re-enacted it on its 75th anniversary in 2005. They followed the exact historical schedule and route. This event was called the "International Walk for Justice and Freedom." What started as a personal journey for Gandhi's great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, became an international event. It had 900 registered participants from nine countries, and thousands more joined each day. The international media covered it widely.

The participants stopped in Dandi on the night of April 5. The event ended on April 7. At the end in Dandi, the prime minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, greeted the marchers. He promised to build a monument in Dandi to remember the marchers and the historic event. The route from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi is now called the Dandi Path and is a historical heritage route.

India released special stamps in 1980 and 2005 to celebrate the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the Dandi March.

Memorial

The National Salt Satyagraha Memorial, a museum dedicated to the event, opened in Dandi on January 30, 2019.

March Route

• Day 1: Ahmedabad to Anslali: March 12, 1930
• Day 2: Aslali to Navagam: March 13, 1930
• Day 3: Navagam to Matar: March 14, 1930
• Day 4: Matar to Nadiad: March 15, 1930
• Day 5: Nadiad to Anand: March 16, 1930
• Day 6: Rest Day in Anand: March 17, 1930
• Day 7: Anand to Borsad: March 18, 1930
• Day 8: Borsad to Kareli (Crossing the Mahi River): March 19, 1930
• Day 9: Rest Day in Kareli: March 20, 1930
• Day 10: Kareli to Ankhi: March 21, 1930
• Day 11: Ankhi to Amod: March 22, 1930
• Day 12: Amod to Samni: March 23, 1930
• Day 13: Rest Day in Samni: March 24, 1930
• Day 14: Samni to Derol: March 25, 1930
• Day 15: Derol to Ankleshwar (Crossing the Narmada River): March 26, 1930
• Day 16: Ankleswar to Mangrol: March 27, 1930
• Day 17: Mangrol to Umracchi: March 28, 1930
• Day 18: Umracchi to Bhatgam: March 29, 1930
• Day 19: Bhatgam to Delad: March 30, 1930
• Day 20: Rest Day in Delad: March 31, 1930
• Day 21: Delad to Surat (Crossing the Tapi River): April 1, 1930
• Day 22: Surat to Vanz: April 2, 1930
• Day 23: Vanz to Navsari: April 3, 1930
• Day 24: Navsari to Matwad: April 4, 1930
• Day 25: Matwad to Dandi: April 5, 1930

See also

In Spanish: Marcha de la sal para niños

• Boston Tea Party
• Selma to Montgomery marches
• Suffrage Hikes