According to this law, the state had a monopoly on the production and sale of salt. Salt was used in every Indian’s home, but they were prevented from making salt even for domestic use, so they were forced to buy salt from shops at a higher price.

Gandhiji considered the salt law to be the most hateful law. So, he decided to break it. There was a lot of discontent among the public against the law. Gandhiji wanted to mobilize this widespread discontent against the British rule.

Salt March or Dandi March

Most of the Indians understood the importance of this challenge of Gandhiji, but not the British Raj. Gandhiji had also given prior notice of his ‘Salt-Yatra’ to Viceroy Lord Irwin, but Irwin could not understand the importance of his action.

On March 12, 1930, Gandhiji started walking towards the sea from his Sabarmati Ashram. After three weeks they reached their destination Dandi. There he broke the salt law by making a handful of salt.

Meanwhile, parallel salt marches were also organized in different parts of the country.

Civil Disobedience Movement

Civil disobedience movement started across the country with Gandhiji’s Salt March.

Progress of the Movement

  1. Peasants in large parts of the country violated the repressive colonial forest laws due to which they and their cattle could not enter the forests where they once roamed freely.
  2. Factory workers went on strike in some towns.
  3. Lawyers boycotted British courts and
  4. Students refused to study in government educational institutions. During his Dandi march, Gandhi called upon the local officials to leave government jobs and join the freedom struggle. Gandhiji in his speech in a village called Vasna asked everyone to organize. He had said, Hindus, Muslims, Parsis and Sikhs all have to unite to get Swaraj. Significance of Dandi Or Salt March

Significance of Dandi Or Salt March

The Dandi or Salt March was notable for at least three reasons –

  1. Due to this first incident, Mahatma Gandhi came into the eyes of the world. The trip was widely covered in the European and American press. As a result, the image of Gandhiji was imprinted with internationalism.
  2. This was the first nationalist activity in which women also took an active part.
  3. A special awakening arose among farmers, laborers and tribals and they became an integral part of the freedom movement.
  4. The British atrocities endured by the satyagrahis further strengthened the spirit of independence among the people.
  5. The most important thing was that it was because of the Salt March that the British realized that their rule would not last long. British imperialism once again faltered.

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Indian History