Gandhi and the Salt March - Term Paper Example

Civil Disobedience is one such way to firmly disapprove something but it requires tremendous courage to stand up against a higher authority knowing that one wrong step can annihilate the entire movement. Yet, many leaders throughout the world have achieved a lot by exercising Civil disobedience. One of the finest examples of non-violent civil disobedience is the Dandi March or the Salt March led by Mahatma Gandhi. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a firm believer in “satyagraha” and “ahimsa”.

In fact so firm was Gandhi’s belief in civil disobedience that he said that it was “the greatest and the most activist force in the world.” An indeed, the Salt March changed the course of Indian history forever all because of one man’s firm belief in acts of non-violence. Born in Porbandar, Gujarat, Gandhi was a well educated man and attended college in England for his higher studies. However, the plight of Indian and blacks at the hands of the Europeans hurt him a lot. His first brush with non-violent protests was in South Africa where he fought for the rights of Indian Hindus and Muslims in South Africa.

His conscience constantly pricked him, because he knew that his own homeland was suffering under the colonial British Raj. He returned to India in 1915 and soon emerged as one of the many freedom fighters. However, Gandhi’s ahimsa or non-violent ways were very unique and surprising. Gandhi was looking for thinking of doing something that would bring the British Raj down on its knees, something that was strong enough to bind the entire Indian subcontinent together to fight for one cause and soon enough he found a very humble but immensely strong reason.

The British, who had colonized India had levied harsh taxes on salt production and soon followed that with a law forbidding anyone from making salt, thus gaining monopoly over this essential commodity. For years fruitless protests were conducted to get rid of the salt tax. But the tax was not the only thing that the Indians wanted to be free from. They wanted “Purna Swaraj” or complete freedom in all its spheres including political, economic and social. The freedom fighting leaders proclaimed that freedom was everyone’s birthright.

But, such acts of freedom needed a firm beginning. Previously, many small protests and movements had been organized against the British, but not one of these movements had power enough to stir the authority and challenge the power. After the proclamation of obtaining absolute freedom, Gandhi was looking for ways to achieve what was rightfully theirs. The topic of salt tax and salt monopoly gave a fine idea to Mahatma Gandhi, who knew that such a sensitive topic would stir all Indians, rich or poor, Hindu or Muslim, because salt was equally essential to all and the taxes hurt everyone equally.

However, he was aware that violent acts of rebellion and protests would land his supporters and himself in jail, so he turned to “ahimsa”, the non-violent way. The historic Dandi March took place on March 12; 1930.Gandhi was followed by volunteers and fellow “satyagraha” or believers in passive resistance. After the Non-Cooperation movement in the 1920’s, the Dandi march was on of the most significant incidences that questioned the British authority in India. It started from Sabarmati ashram, the place where