The Dandi Yatra and the end of the Black Salt Law...
When Gandhiji woke up on the morning of 6 April 1930, there was no fatigue on his face to walk 386 kms for 26 days of Dandi Yatra. About 50 thousand people from all over the country were present in a small village named Dandi in Gujarat. All eyes were fixed on this 61-year-old man. Gandhi got up and in his fast pace went towards the beach. Thousands of people also followed behind with him.
The British were already ready. They had made mud by mixing salt and sand deposited on the beach by employing many laborers late at night. Seeing this, there was not a single wrinkle on Gandhiji's face. On the other hand, a person named Jibhubhai Keshavalji had already hidden some salt. From this Bapu picked up a pinch of salt and said - "With this I am shaking the foundation of the British Empire." A night earlier, Gandhiji had also answered those who called him 'Hindu leader' by staying at Saifee Villa.
Dandi village on the beach is the same, but no salt now
When I reach Dandi, this village now looks completely different from Dandi with books and pictures. First of all, I reach the place where, with a pinch of salt, Gandhiji had put salt on the foundation of the British Government. Now the geographical position has changed. Now salt is not made here.
Due to the floods in Navsari in the past, there is a lot of dirt on the beach too. Although local people say that it is all natural. Generally this place is well maintained. For this, a committee has been formed by the people of Dandi village, which takes donations from tourists and uses that money for beach cleaning and other works.
Indian Salt Act made in 1882, 6 months jail for salt making
In 1835, the British government formed the Salt Commission to tax salt. The commission advised the government that a tax should be imposed on salt made in India, so that the export of salt made in Liverpool, Britain to India occupied by the East India Company, would increase.
After the revolt of 1857, the British government snatched the rule of India from the East India Company and took it directly into its own hands. In 1882, the British Government took over the manufacture, transportation and trade of salt by enacting the Indian Salt Act.
Under this law, making salt was punishable with imprisonment for 6 months, confiscation of property and heavy fine. According to Section 39 of the Bombay Salt Act, officers collecting tax on salt could enter any house or premises and conduct searches. Meaning that salt could be made only in government depots.
British government doubled the tax on salt in India in 1922
When Basil Blackett was appointed Finance Member in British India in November 1922, he doubled the tax on salt. The Legislative Assembly of India rejected this proposal, but the Viceroy Lord Reading passed this bill using special power.
At that time in India, the cost of one mind i.e. about 40 kg of salt was 10 paise. The government used to charge 20 annas i.e. Rs 1.25 tax on that.
The Bohra Muslims of Dandi opened their Guru's house for Gandhi
Dhirubhai, 93, who wrote the book on Dandi Yatra, says that Gandhiji reached Saifee Villa near Dandi beach on 5 April 1930. At that time 460 people lived in the village. There was a lot of poverty. The concern of the villagers was how they would welcome Gandhiji.
The Muslims of the Bohra community of the village had opened the bungalow of their guru Syedna Tahir Saifuddin for Gandhiji. Gandhiji spent one night at Saifee Villa. With this, he had also given a message to those people who used to say that they do not go to Muslim villages, do not stay. Even today, the utensils used by Gandhiji are kept in Saifee Villa.
Satyagrahis from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu were with Gandhi
Bapu had set out on Dandi Yatra on 12 March 1930 with 78 people. All these people were selected by Gandhiji himself by taking interviews. Their age was about 16 to 25 years. These included 32 from Gujarat province, 6 from Kutch, 4 from Kerala, 3 from Punjab, 2 from Bombay and one each from Sindh, Nepal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Utkal, Karnataka, Bihar and Bengal.
Gandhiji crossed 11 rivers during his journey. After Surat, Dindori, Vanj, Dhaman, he made Navsari his stop in the last days of the journey.
On the other hand, from March 12 to 31, the British government had arrested more than 95,000 people across the country. These included C. Rajagopalachari and Pandit Nehru. Bapu broke the salt law in Dandi on 6 April and with this the civil disobedience movement started. Gradually the movement spread to the rest of the country as well. This movement lasted for a whole year and ended with the Gandhi-Irwin agreement in 1931.
Keeping an eye on Gandhi, a British officer became a devotee of Gandhi
Dhirubhai Patel narrates another anecdote related to this journey. They tell that during the Dandi Yatra a Class-I officer was deputed to keep an eye on Bapu. I don't remember his full name, but the surname was Desai. Desai was to retire after 6 months of Dandi Yatra, but he was so impressed with Gandhiji that he resigned before that. Desai began to feel that he had committed a sin by keeping an eye on Gandhi.
The people of Dandi are still Gandhians, not by election but unanimously elected Sarpanch
The people of Dandi are still living life according to Gandhian ideals. There are all kinds of facilities here. There are paved roads. There are good schools and colleges. Panchayat elections are never held in the village. People unanimously appoint Sarpanch.
Shakuntalaben Patel, a resident of Dandi, says that before Gandhiji reached here, the police used to threaten the people of the village, but the villagers had opened the doors of their houses to the agitators. Arrangements were made for food and drink for 50 thousand people who reached here. Due to which 240 people from 22 villages of the area were sent to jail by the police.
Salt is still made in Dandi's Satyagraha Museum
Natural salt is no longer produced in Dandi, but artificially prepared salt is used in the National Monument. So that tourists can see how salt is made. Tourists also buy salt from here.
The Government of India has also constructed a magnificent National Salt Satyagraha Memorial on the beach side just opposite Saifee Villa in 2019. The memorial has sculptures of Dandi Yatra. Apart from this, solar trees have also been planted according to Gandhi's ideas of self-reliance. Daily exhibition is also organized here.
Patel and Nehru were not ready, but Bapu took the bag
When Gandhiji decided on the Salt Satyagraha, it was opposed by big leaders of Congress including Nehru, Patel. He believed that the British were looking for an opportunity to put Gandhiji in jail again. However, both had to bow down to Gandhiji's insistence. Sardar Patel led the Dandi March.
Bapu had left the Sabarmati Ashram with two bags. In one bag was his daily necessities and in the other bag was kept the items of the prison. He had said – I can be arrested anytime. I may not even live, but this Satyagraha must be completed.
Gandhi-Irwin pact gave the sea shore people the right to make salt
On March 5, 1931, the Second Round Table Conference was held in London and a political agreement was reached between Gandhi-Irwin, which is also known as the 'Delhi Pact'. With this the civil disobedience movement was abolished.
Conditions accepted by the British:
1. Release all political prisoners except those accused of violence.
2. Indians will be given the right to make salt on the seashore.
3. Indians can picket in front of liquor and foreign clothes shops.
4. Those who redesign during the movement will be reinstated. The confiscated property will be returned.
Conditions accepted by Congress:
5. The Civil Disobedience Movement will be suspended.
6. Congress will participate in the Second Round Table Conference.
7. Congress will not boycott British goods.
8. Gandhi will drop the demand for an inquiry into the excesses of the British police.
Reference:
• The Salt Cess Act, 1953
• The Salt Tax by Mary Rochester
• Economic History of India by Rothermund, Dietmar
• Indian National Movement and Raj by Shri Ram Bakshi
• Marathon March by Su. Rangarajan
Editors' Board: Nishant Kumar, Ankit Francis and Indrabhushan Mishra
Also read these 4 stories from the series 'That's why we are free'...
1. Nehru-Gandhi sidelined from naval rebellion: British gunned down 400 people, corpses were lying on the streets of Bombay
2. When farmers started eating sugar, the British increased the rent by 30%: Patel brought the British government to its knees within 6 months by doing Satyagraha
3. Khudiram hit a bomb on the chest of British rule: If punished, he said to the judge - If you get time, I will teach you how to make bombs
4. 23 policemen were burnt for crushing Gandhi cap: After Chauri-Chaura, Gandhi stopped the non-cooperation movement, then Subhash said - this decision is a national disaster
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