This Month in Indian History: Dandi March/Salt Satyagraha

Oral History Division’s Record (Extracts), NMML

This Month in Indian History: Dandi March/Salt Satyagraha,

12 March-06 April 1930

On 12 March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi started his Dandi March at 6.30 a.m. from Ahmedabad. On 5 April he reached Dandi and on the following day at 8.30 a.m., he civilly broke Salt Law by picking up natural salt from the sea shore.

Some excerpts from the transcripts of the recording of OHD:

Sumangal Prakash (Gandhian, Author and Participant of Dandi March as one of the 78 Satyagrahis)

Lkqeaxy izdk”k%  ---Eksjs [;ky ls ued dkuwu Hkax eq[;r% ,d izrhdkRed fojks/k Fkk vkSj mldk mn~ns”; ml oDr rd c<+rs vkus okys jk’Vªh; {kksHk dk lgh bLrseky FkkA ,d rjQ lkbeu deh”ku ds cfg’dkj ls tks”k iSnk gqvk gh Fkk] nwljh vkSj rFkkdfFkr vkradoknh dk;Zokfg;ka c<+rh tk jgha FkhA Hkxr flag oxSjg ds ohjrkiwoZd dk;ksZa ls ukStokuksa dk [kwu xeZ gks pyk FkkA

              Lkkjk okrkoj.k fgalk dh rjQ tksj ij FkkA xka/khth us dgk Hkh fd vxj eSa bl oDr bls ugha NsM+rk rc rks fQj dHkh ugha NsM+ ldwaxkA pkjksa rjQ fgalk dk tks okrkoj.k rS;kj gks jgk Fkk]  fgalk esa fo”okl djus okyk tks jk’Vªh; rRo Fkk] mlds f[kykQ Hkh xka/khth dh ;g yM+kbZ FkhA ;g mUgksaus lkQ-lkQ “kCnksa esa dgk fd eSa vxj vkt bl vkUnksyu dks NsM+ dj lQy ugha gksrk rks fQj vkxs vfgalk ds fy, iz;ksx dk jkLrk ugha jg tk,xkA fQj rks lc bu yksxksa ds gkFk esa gh pyk tk,xkA bl rjg ls xka/khth c)ifjdj gq, FksA rks ;g lkjh ifjfLFkr id jgh FkhA ued dkuwu u ysdj dksbZ Hkh nwljh pht os ys ldrs FksA bl rjg mUgksaus tks”k iSnk dj fn;kA izkFkZuk lHkk esa muds tks Hkk’k.k gksrs Fks os cM+s gh ^^fFkzfyax^^ gksrs FksA og v[kckjksa esa iwjs-ds-iwjs Nirs FksA vkSj lkjs ns”k esa mudk izpkj gksrk Fkk ---A

S.K. Patil (Gandhian, Parliamentarian, Journalist and Participant of Dandi March as a volunteer)  

Dr Hari Dev Sharma:    Do you recall Gandhiji’s Dandi March?

Shri S.K. Patil:         I recall very vividly Gandhiji’s Dandi March. He had himself chosen all the seventy-eight volunteers. They used to march with him… People came from all over India. There was in fact a competition to be in the Dandi March… Along with those seventy-eight satyagrahis, who walked with him, I think there were about a couple of hundred other people, and out of whom at least fifty were press representatives. They also used to walk because there was no going with motor cars and things like that… It was a sight to see Mahatma Gandhi bending and picking salt and just having it, like that. But the Government did not arrest anybody for picking salt there.

                                       At that time Lord Irwin was Viceroy and he was a good Viceroy. He had great respect for Mahatma Gandhi; he said: Let us see, let us ignore it. He did ignore to the utmost extent. Gandhiji was not arrested for about a month after that.

                                     … when the Government saw that the movement would not stop by any process, and while Gandhiji was out, they would not be able to take the wind out of his sails, then they arrested him...

Dr Hari Dev Sharma:    What was the impact of this march?

Shri S.K. Patil:               Impact of this march was very great. In fact, I would say that the march was a sort of backbone of the civil disobedience movement… And it attracted the attention of the world… According to Gandhiji and according to the world, this march was a non-violent march… It created confidence among the people that Gandhiji could attract millions of young people…