The Salt March
The sun is raging with all its might in the sky, sucking the strength from anyone who faced
its glare. The heavy air is filled with vapor and salt, and the wind is blowing swiftly, whistling in the
ears. The ground has
patches of seawater until
it reaches the shore to
extend where the blue
deep meets the blue
infinity at the horizon.
However,
conditions
the
blazing
could
deter the courage of one
man,
millions of others with
him in their struggle for
the
future
who
not
carried
of
their
country. He is wearing
a
white
shawl to cover his thin
bare chest, and a white
dhoti made from Khadi.
He resembles the weak
and the poor with his
attire, but behind him
stand the various leaders
nothing
but
of the nation. The then
Image 1: Mahatma Gandhi picking salt to
break Salt Law and start the Satyagraha
sixty-two years old man
bathed in the sea under the blazing sun, and picked up some salt from the shore, with the people
behind him chanting “Victory” and “Hail Deliverer” (Chaudhary 08). He is none other than
Mohandas Gandhi, an Indian national leader, starting the Salt March as a protest against the Salt
Tax by British monopoly, thus boosting the Civil Disobedience Movement and leading India to its
independence.
The image belongs to the iconic morning on the sixth day of April in the year 1930, when a
twenty-four days long march of about 240 miles (“Salt March”, History.com) ended in the city of
Dandi near the Arabian Sea. Mahatma (which in Sanskrit means ‘Great Soul’) Gandhi started this
movement in March 1930 in order to unite the nation’s diverse communities together against the
East India Company (Dandi: Salt March). Salt was a basic amenity and the staple diet in the Indian
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culture, without which people belonging to any community could hardly prepare their food. Almost
half of India’s border is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, and there was no shortage in the
production of salt even in that era of hard times. However, the East India Company had taken the
monopoly of salt in their hands, and it was against the law for an Indian to produce salt. In addition
to that, Salt Tax was imposed by the British under their rule on the subcontinent, with the poor
suffering the most under it. India was losing a major resource as well as huge income from their
own lands, and a rage was rising amongst the minds of its citizens, especially the underprivileged.
The Salt Satyagraha (which in Hindi means ‘protest for truth’) was a part of the Civil
Disobedience Movement that started after many years of remonstration by various national leaders
of the country. The first salt taxation by the British is reported to have been imposed in Bengal (in
East India) as early as 1765, which was followed by the conquest of the state of Orissa and the
takeover of the khalaris (which in Oriya means ‘best quality salt’) in 1803. It was in 1885 that a
prominent Indian National Congress leader, S. A. Swaminatha Iyer, introduced this issue in the first
session of the national party’s meeting (“Salt March”, Wikipedia.org). Protests against salt tax
followed this event, until Mahatma Gandhi started a Salt Satyagraha in 1930.
In Image 1, Mahatma Gandhi is picking up salt as a non-violent fight against the monopoly of
the British over the mineral. This was in response to a rejected letter that he sent to Viceroy Lord
Irwin, demanding eleven requests that included abolishing the Salt Tax. Behind him is Mithuben
Petit (a female activist and a tribal leader), along with Gandhi’s second son Manilal, as they both
watch the historic movement that eventually helped in getting India its independence. More than a
hundred-thousand followers of Mahatma Gandhi stood behind him as they cheered this feat after
almost a month long journey. His attire was a representation of an Indian poor laborer who
suffered under the British Raj (which means Rule in Hindi). The protesters were all dressed in white
Khadi, the locally produced fabric that symbolized the freedom struggle. This pool of people was
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termed as ‘The White Flowing River’ because of the shining white Khadi that everyone wore while
marching (“Salt March”, Wikipedia.org).
The Salt March had many deeper meanings besides the Salt Tax and Salt monopoly. India
has always been one of the
most diverse nations in the
world, with more than 1600
languages and more than
600 types of tribes and
communities, housing every
major religion and belief in
the
Image 2: People from all backgrounds following
Mahatma Gandhi to attend Salt March at Dandi
world.
With
this
diversity, it can be a very
tough job to unite all the people of different beliefs and religious backgrounds even in today’s
world. A thread of opportunity was seen by Mahatma Gandhi when he raised the salt issue, as the
Salt Tax costed everyone dearly; be it Hindu or Muslim, poor or rich, urban or tribal. He gathered
people from all the communities and from all economic backgrounds. In his one-month march from
Sabarmati Ashram (which in Hindi means ‘a place for spiritual teachings’) in Gandhinagar to the
coastal town of Dandi, Mahatma Gandhi stopped at various sites to give speeches in mass public.
He threw light upon the importance of salt and Salt Tax in the people’s lives, irrespective of their
caste or religion. Their minds were moved by his strong words, bonding them as citizens of one
nation – India. This move proved to be a turning point in the lives of more than one-and-a-quarter
of a billion people in the world, as it gave birth to ‘unity in diversity’ (term coined by Jawaharlal
Nehru).
He started his protest with seventy-eight of his faithful followers (“The Salt March”,
historysilver.weebly.com), a million others later following their footsteps on the road to freedom.
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Each morning started with a ‘bhajan’ (religious prayers), which was followed by ten miles of march
per day. About sixty-thousand Indians responded to the first call for non-violent arms in Sabarmati
where Gandhi’s Ashram was located (“Salt March”, Wikipedia.org). Amongst the protesters were
some famous personalities like Sarojini Naidu (Indian poet and freedom fighter), Jawaharlal Nehru
(India’s first Prime Minister), and more. The movement was covered from day one by international
press, including the European, Australian and American media. There were speculations about
Gandhi being arrested for continuing his Civil Disobedience Movement (or the Non-Cooperation
Movement) against the British. This attracted a lot of news reporters to cover the whole movement
from day one. “The Nation”, a famous newspaper, claimed that “this call to arms was perhaps the
most remarkable call to war that has ever been made” (“Salt March”, Wikipedia.org).
After seeing a huge response for the cause, the initial disagreement between the Congress
leaders regarding this ‘trivial’ salt issue was resolved, and many party leaders started showing their
support for the cause. They began to see the bigger picture that Mahatma Gandhi was painting on
the canvas of diversity in India. Yet, so trifling was this issue considered by the Colonial British that
Viceroy Irwin, in a letter to higher authorities in London, wrote, “At present the prospect of a Salt
Campaign does not keep me awake at night” (Dandi: Salt March). However, he soon realized his
mistake of underestimating the political strategies of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Salt March was a huge step in starting a full-force Civil-Disobedience Movement on a
large scale in the whole country. Although the British took it lightly and didn’t make any arrests on
the first day of the protest; however, most of the jails were all filled up by the month of May.
People from all over the country started their own Satyagraha, with local leaders leading the mobs.
Non-violence had proven to be a powerful weapon, as the freedom-fighters broke the British laws
without any arms or ammunition. Eventually, Mahatma Gandhi himself was arrested on May 5,
1930, for starting this nation-wide protest against British Laws. Other national leaders, like
Jawaharlal Nehru and Sarojini Naidu, amongst others, were arrested as well. Nonetheless, the spark
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had now turned into a flame, and this flame was burning the British Empire, rooting it out of India.
The Salt March was a symbolic representation of India’s unity in the fight against the British.
It inspired the various diversities, be it from the Hindus to the Muslims, the Brahmans (pure caste)
to the Shudras (the untouchables) and the rich to the poor. People started associating themselves
with just two words – “Freedom” and “Indian”. It was a mammoth achievement in a country that
consisted of more than five-hundred small kingdoms just some decades before the freedom
struggle started.
Civil Disobedience continued to flourish the Indian insurgency even after Gandhi’s arrest.
However, a few places turned to violence instead of peacefully demonstrating and breaking the
oppressive laws. Chauri-Chaura, a town in Western India, witnessed huge amount of violence as
several Indians burnt a police station, killing eleven policemen. This disturbed Mahatma Gandhi so
much that he called-off the movement and dissociated himself from any politics, stating that he
would now focus more on his “Constructive Program” to end untouchability (Collins). While in jail,
he went on a hunger strike that struck fear amongst the British, who thus released him in January,
1931.
Another reason for calling-off the movement was his agreement with the British Empire that
asked him to attend the Second Round Table Conference in London. As a sole representative of
Indian National Congress, he raised the issues that every Indian was facing, and posted his requests
in front of the Authorities. However, none of his requests were met, and the Second Round Table
Conference turned out to be a failure. This disappointment shifted the Congress party further away
from Gandhi’s philosophies, as well as lost the support for the Civil Disobedience from the Muslim
community (“Salt March”, Wikipedia.org). Mohammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League,
feared that the Muslims might get dominated in a Hindu-majority country like India, and thus
demanded a separate country after independence. This was not welcomed by Mahatma Gandhi, as
he thought that dividing a country due to religious or cultural backgrounds was not healthy for the
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unity of people. Thus, he lost a major support from Indian Muslims, who parted away from Civil
Disobedience and Satyagraha.
Mahatma Gandhi, however, continued carrying out his Satyagraha in other coastal saltproducing areas, and protested against the oppressive laws of British government. His Satyagraha
at Dharasena (in Gujarat) got major attention, and was supported by various leaders, especially
Sarojini Naidu. Though not an ultimate success in getting India its independence, the Salt March
continued reminding the Indians about its unity. It also made the British realize the power that
Gandhi held through his massive support not just in India but also in England, provoking strong
comments from Winston Churchill who once called Gandhi an “Indian fakir”. Gandhi’s philosophies
about non-violent protests and Civil disobedience earned him international fame, and inspired
other world leaders like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. in their own struggles against
injustice.
I usually freak out at the idea of capturing the past in one moment. It makes me feel as if
someone has been trapped inside a cage of time, and he can never come out of it. But it was
fascinating how a single image captured the moment that proved to be the rolling stone behind the
existence of billions of Indians who now live in an Independent and united nation called India. The
instant was precious not only to the South-Asians, but also to people as far as South Africa and
United States of America. Martin Luther King Jr. described the Salt March as a “crucial influence on
his own philosophy of civil disobedience” (Salt March, History.com). This simple fact about a
moment changing the destinies of various countries and billions of people riveted me, and made
me choose it out of a million other photos that I encountered in my life. It was after viewing this
image that I realized how a small action can turn the tides altogether, as in case of India’s destiny.
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Works Cited
1) "Salt March." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_March>
2) Chaudhary, Rakhi. "Lady in Storm: Sarojini Naidu in Civil Disobedience Movement." International
Journal of Humanities and Religion. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
3) Pletcher, Kenneth. "Salt March." Encyclopedia Britannica, Web.
<http://www.britannica.com/event/Salt-March>.
4) Dalton, Dennis. Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action. New York: Columbia University
Press, 1993, Ch. 4
5) "Dandi: Salt March." Manas: History and Politics. Web.
<https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Gandhi/Dandi.html>.
6) "Salt March." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web.
<http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gandhi-leads-civil-disobedience>.
7) Collins, Lee. "Gandhi's Salt March." About.com. Web.
<http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/fl/Gandhis-Salt-March.htm>.
Image Sources:
Image 1:
Salt March. 1930. Dandi, India. Wikipedia. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salt_March.jpg>
Image 2:
Gandhi's Salt March. 1930. Sabarmati. Portland Press Herald. Web.
<http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/portland-press-herald_3307086.jpg>.
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