Page 22 - All About History - Issue 34-16

Protest

Day in the life

ASALTMARCH

PROTESTER

WALKING TO END UNFAIR BRITISH-

IMPOSED TAXES, INDIA, 1930

Mohandas ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi led India to independence from
British rule through a series of nonviolent protests. One of the
most famous was the Salt March, which took place between
March and April 1930 in reaction to the British salt tax, which
prevented Indians from producing or selling this popular
commodity independently. Gandhi and a band of followers
marched 240 miles to the coastal village of Dandi,
Gujarat, in order to make salt without paying
tax. This sparked large-scale acts of civil
disobedience by millions of Indians, and
eventually resulted in Gandhi’s imprisonment.
WRITE LETTERS

For Gandhi’s message to be
heard, the march had to grab
the attention of the British
government. Before setting off,
he wrote a letter to the viceroy
of India promising to call off the
protest if he agreed to a number
of concessions. These included the
The Gyarah Murti was
abolition of the salt tax and general tax erected in New Delhi to
reduction. Gandhi’s letter was ignored and commemorate the march
the viceroy refused to meet him, so the march
went on.
SETTING OUT

After making an inspirational speech to his
followers and saying a prayer, Gandhi set the march
in motion. The journey was long and arduous,
lasting 24 days in total, but the possibility of
reducing taxes and producing their own salt at the
end kept the marchers trudging on.
VILLAGE STOP OFF

The march gave Gandhi the opportunity to spread
his message not only to the British, but also across
India. Scouts were sent out to villages ahead of the
march so that Gandhi could plan his talks based
on the needs of the residents. He would promote
personal hygiene and teetotalism, while dismissing
child marriage and inequality in society.
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