Dandi March & Civil Disobedience Movement

On 12 March, 1930, Gandhi began his March to Dandi with his chosen 79 followers to break the salt law. According to this law, the state had a monopoly on the manufacture and sale of salt. Mahatma Gandhi along with other nationalists reasoned that it was sinful to tax salt since it is such an essential item of food.

The Salt March related the general desire of freedom to a specific grievance shared by everybody, and thus did not divide the rich and the poor.

Gandhiji and his followers marched for over 240 miles from Sabarmati to the coastal town of Dandi where they broke the government law by gathering natural salt found on the seashore, and boiling sea water to produce salt. He formally launched the Civil Disobedience Movement by breaking the salt law.

On 9 April, Mahatma Gandhi laid out the programme of the movement which included making of salt in every village in violation of the existing salt laws, picketing by women before the shops selling liquor, opium and foreign clothes, organizing the bonfires of foreign clothes, spinning clothes by using charkha, fighting untouchability, boycotting of schools and colleges by students and resigning from government jobs by the people. The programme also called upon the people not to pay taxes to the government.

Soon, the movement spread to all parts of the country. Students, workers, peasants, farmers and women, all participated in this movement with great enthusiasm.

The government tried to crush the movement through brutal action against peaceful satyagrahis. Thousands were sent to jail.