Question

Write a note on the Dandi March.

Hint:

12 March to 6 April 1930, Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, protesting the salt tax.

Answer 1

Step 1: Background: The Dandi March (also called the Salt March) was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 12 March 1930 as the opening act of the Civil Disobedience Movement, protesting the British salt tax and monopoly on salt production.

Step 2: The march itself: Gandhi walked about 390 km from his Sabarmati Ashram (Ahmedabad) to the coastal village of Dandi in Gujarat, accompanied by 78 chosen followers, over 24 days.

Step 3: The act of defiance: On reaching Dandi on 6 April 1930, Gandhi broke the salt law by picking up natural salt from the seashore, symbolically defying the British monopoly and calling on Indians nationwide to do the same.

Step 4: Impact: The march sparked widespread civil disobedience across India (illegal salt-making, boycotts of foreign cloth, non-payment of taxes), drew massive international press attention, and marked a turning point in mass mobilization against British rule.

Final Answer: The Dandi March (12 March – 6 April 1930) was Gandhi's symbolic salt-law-breaking march from Sabarmati to Dandi that launched the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement.