Why in News?
The Dandi Satyagraha (also known as the Salt March) on March 12, 2026, marks its 96th anniversary. To commemorate the event, high-level leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and the freedom fighters who participated in the historic 1930 march.
Historical Background
- Launched amid the Civil Disobedience Movement after Gandhi's unheeded ultimatum to Viceroy Irwin on salt tax abolition.
- Protested the British salt monopoly, which taxed an essential commodity, symbolizing economic exploitation.
- Gandhi viewed salt as a unifying issue, accessible to all Indians regardless of class or region.
Key Events
- Began on March 12, 1930, from Sabarmati Ashram with 78 satyagrahis, covering 387 km (241 miles) to Dandi village in Gujarat over 24 days.
- Reached Dandi on April 5-6, 1930; Gandhi picked up natural salt from the shore and boiled seawater to make salt, violating the law.
- Sparked nationwide salt-making and boycotts along coasts.
Participants
- Core group: Gandhi and 78 volunteers, including Sarojini Naidu, Abbas Tyabji, and Manilal Gandhi.
- Later joined by thousands; women like Sarojini Naidu led follow-up raids at Dharasana Salt Works.
Significance
- Mobilized millions, marking the peak of Gandhi's mass appeal and drawing global media attention.
- Demonstrated non-violent satyagraha's power, inspiring worldwide civil rights movements.
- Led to over 60,000 arrests, including Gandhi, but no major British concessions until Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
Impact
- Galvanized Civil Disobedience Movement, with illegal salt production and sales nationwide; Gandhi's salt pinch fetched 1,600 rupees.
- United diverse groups—farmers, urbanites, women—in defiance.
- Key turning point in independence struggle, pressuring Britain internationally.
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