Dandi March
POETRY FORMAT, 12 Apr 2021
Dr. Ravi P. Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service
Gandhi’s Salt or Dandi March heading to the sea.
People seek truth, nonviolence and justice
One person imbibing these qualities was Gandhi
A person born in a small Gujarati village
Became a symbol of these values world over
Protests against injustice was the hallmark of Gandhi
Struggled for a small commodity that we all need — Salt
What a struggle it was — covering a distance of 400 km
A march that started from Sabarmati and ended in Dandi
Why salt— because the British Empire in India imposed a tax
The journey started on 12 March 1930, reaching Dandi on 6 April
Gandhi and his fellow marchers tried to pick salt from the ocean
What they picked were baton blows by the British police
Gandhi tried picking salt, he was hit and fell down
Another man tried picking salt, was blown down
As one man fell, another took his place
One by one the sea was littered by men hit by baton
The Salt Satyagraha drew attention to the unjust British Rule
It was followed by many demonstrations for an independent nation
Gandhi was jailed but that added to the independence struggle
A struggle that continued till 1947 when India became a free nation
Peaceful demonstrations or Satyagraha in Dandi
For independence and justice in countries of Asia, Africa
Struggles that produced Ho Chi Minh and Nelson Mandela
Martin Luther King Jr in America, all inspired by Gandhi
Gandhi picking up grains of salt at the end of his march. Wikipedia.org
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The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty four-day march lasted from 12 Mar to 6 Apr 1930 as a direct action campaign. Gandhi set out from his ashram near Ahmedabad with several dozen followers on a trek of some 240 miles to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. (Wikipedia)
Dr Ravi P Bhatia is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, an educationist, Gandhian scholar and peace researcher. Retired professor, Delhi University. His new book, A Garland of Ideas—Gandhian, Religious, Educational, Environmental was published recently in Delhi. ravipbhatia@gmail.com
Tags: Activism, British Colonialism, British empire, Civil Disobedience, Gandhi, India, Nonviolent Action, Salt March, Satyagraha
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 12 Apr 2021.
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