The Salt March and Civil Disobedience
Gandhi's 1930 walk to the sea to make salt in defiance of the British salt tax, which launched the Civil Disobedience Movement.
What the paper can ask
- 12 March to 6 April 1930; about 385 km in 24 days with 78 marchers; salt made at Dandi on 6 April.
- Over 60,000 people were jailed; Gandhi was arrested in May 1930 before the Dharasana raid.
- A parallel march was led on the east coast in Tamil Nadu; the campaign ended with the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931).
- Time magazine named Gandhi its Man of the Year for 1930; a memorial at Dandi opened in 2019.
Why exams ask
The starting point, the dates, the distance, Dharasana and the pact that ended it are the usual questions.
The full story
In 1930 Gandhi chose the salt tax, which hit the poorest hardest, as the issue to defy. From 12 March to 6 April he and 78 followers walked about 385 km in 24 days from his ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, where he picked up salt and broke the law. Millions followed, over 60,000 were jailed, and the Civil Disobedience Movement had begun, weeks after the Congress had declared Purna Swaraj.
Test yourself
1.From which place did Gandhi begin the Salt March on 12 March 1930?
Correct. Gandhi and 78 followers set out from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, reaching Dandi on 6 April 1930.
Not quite. Gandhi and 78 followers set out from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, reaching Dandi on 6 April 1930. It goes into your error book.
2.Who led the salt march from Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu in April 1930?
Correct. C. Rajagopalachari set out from Tiruchirappalli on 13 April 1930 and broke the salt law at Vedaranyam at the end of April, the southern counterpart of Dandi; he was arrested there.
Not quite. C. Rajagopalachari set out from Tiruchirappalli on 13 April 1930 and broke the salt law at Vedaranyam at the end of April, the southern counterpart of Dandi; he was arrested there. It goes into your error book.