Nine decades ago, an obscure, sleepy village in South Gujarat was catapulted into the annals of Indian political history that witnessed breaking of the ‘salt law’ in colonial India by Mahatma Gandhi who termed it as the most iniquitous law. Next to air and water, Gandhi said, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life.
The Dandi March or the Salt March led by Gandhi in 1930 traversed 390 km, visiting 47 villages to reach Dandi where Gandhi broke the ‘salt law’ challenging the British salt monopoly. The march was joined by 78 trusted volunteers of Gandhi. The march was also called White Flowing River as all those who joined it wore white khadi.
When Gandhi raised a lump of saltymud in Dandi, he said, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” This is why the Dandi March remains quintessential in the freedom movement of India.
How much have the villages on the way....
