Take a look at the essential concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s your knowledge nugget for today. Knowledge Nugget: The Dandi March and Beyond Subject: History (Relevance: The Dandi March is one of the most important events of the Independence Movement. The UPSC has asked questions on these themes. In 2020, a question was asked about the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. Even though these are common themes, aspirants often mark incorrect answers in the Prelims. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly prepare these topics.) Why in the news? March 12 marks the 95th anniversary of the historic salt march or Dandi March led by Mahatma Gandhi from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in Gujarat. The 24-day march from March 12 to April 5, 1930, ended with the defiance of the law after he made salt at Dandi marking the inauguration of the civil disobedience movement. According to Gandhi, civil disobedience was ‘certainly more dangerous than an armed rebellion’, because it ‘can never be put down if the civil resisters are prepared to face extreme hardships’. Civil disobedience ‘is based upon an implicit belief in the absolute efficiency of innocent suffering’. Key Takeaways: 1. On 6 April 1930, Gandhi along with his followers defiantly broke the salt law by manufacturing salt from the sea. Gandhi told a representative of the Free Press, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” "It is open to anyone who would take the risk of prosecution under the Salt Law to manufacture salt wherever he wishes and wherever it is convenient. My advice is that the workers should everywhere manufacture salt to make use of it and to instruct the villagers to do so.” 2. With this, the movement spread throughout the countryside. It is estimated that around 60,000 people were arrested by the British. According to the website of gandhismriti, Jawaharlal, Mahadev Desai, and Gandhi's son Devdas were the first to be sent to jail. The British government declared the Indian National Congress as illegal. Gandhi informed the Viceroy that he was going to raid the government salt works at Dharasana. Before he could proceed, he was arrested and sent to Yeravda Central Jail. 3. Raid at Dharsana: After Gandhi’s arrest, Mr. Abbas Tyabji, took over the march to Dharsana but he was also arrested. Sarojini Naidu succeeded Abbas Tyabji who led the march but was met with police brutality. An American journalist, Miller, observed that when the police “rained blows on their heads with steel-shod lathis. Not one of the marchers even raised an arm to fend off the blows. They went down like ninepins.” 4. Similar acts of civil disobedience took place in other parts of India. Several Colonial laws were broken along with a boycott of foreign cloth and liquor. What started as salt satyagraha soon grew into mass satyagraha. In Bengal, for instance, volunteers led by Satish Chandra Dasgupta walked from Sodepur Ashram to the village of Mahisbathan to make salt. K.F Nariman in Bombay led another group of marchers to Haji Ali Point where they prepared salt at a nearby park. 5. The anti-chowkidari (village police) tax along with non-payment of rent was followed in the raiyatwadi areas. There were many violent confrontations with the police and massive tribal invasions of forests in Central Provinces, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. 6. In the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as the Frontier Gandhi, raised a band of non-violent volunteers known as the Khudai Khidmatgars (Red Shirts), who played an active role in the movement. The volunteers were able to capture the town. However, the British were able to reoccupy it soon and unleashed brutality on the Red Shirts which was resisted by non-violence alone. 7. In Chittagong, a group of revolutionaries headed by Surjaya Sen launched a campaign against the British. They seized the local armoury and an Independence Proclamation was made in the name of the ‘Independent Republican Army’ and fought a pitched battle on the Jalalabad hill leading to the death of several revolutionaries. 8. C. Rajagopalachari led the Civil Disobedience movement in Tamil Nadu. He organised a march from Trichinopoly to Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast to break the salt law in April 1930. This was followed by picketing of foreign cloth shops and an anti-liquor campaign. 9. In Malabar, Nair Congress leader, Kelappan, organised the salt march. Similarly, in Orissa, the Civil Disobedience movement was carried out under the leadership of Gopabandhu Chaudhary. In Bihar, leaders like Ram Briksha Benipuri, Prof Abdul Bari and Acharya Kripalani led the movement. 10. Why did Gandhi choose ‘salt’? The 1882 Salt Act gave the British a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt. Even though salt was freely available on the coasts of India, Indians were forced to buy it from the colonisers. Gandhi decided that if there was any one product through which civil disobedience could be inaugurated, then it was salt. BEYOND THE NUGGET: Gandhi-Irwin pact 1. Gandhi sent an 11-point ultimatum to Irwin on 31st January 1930. These were the 11 demands: Total prohibition, Reduction of the exchange ratio, Reduction of land revenue by 50%, Abolition of the salt tax, Reduction of military expenditure, Reduction of salaries of the highest-grade services, Protective tariff on foreign cloth, Passage of the Coastal Traffic Reservation Bill, Discharge of all political prisoners except those condemned for murder, Abolition of the C.I.D and Issue of licenses to use firearms, for self-defense. 2. When Irwin showed no inclination to meet the demands, Gandhi began his historic Salt March, the Dandi. On January 25, 1931, Viceroy Irwin announced the unconditional release of Gandhi and other Congress leaders to facilitate negotiations. 3. On 5th March 1931, the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed. It also came to be known as the Delhi Pact. This led to the release of all political prisoners who were not convicted of violence, remission of fines, and return of confiscated lands. Government employees who had resigned from service were treated leniently. The Congress agreed to end the Civil Disobedience Movement and take part in the Second Round Table Conference later that year. Post Read Question (1). The Gandhi-Irwin Pact included which of the following? (UPSC CSE 2020) 1. Invitation to Congress to participate in the Round Table Conference 2. Withdrawal of Ordinances promulgated in connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement 3. Acceptance of Gandhiji's suggestion for enquiry into police excesses 4. Release of only those prisoners who were not charged with violence Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 1, 2 and 4 only (c) 3 only (d) 2, 3 and 4 only Answer key (b) (Read more: Explained: What was the significance of Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March?,Could Gandhi have done more to save Bhagat Singh? ,How Mahatma Gandhi drew inspiration from the American independence struggle) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the Union Budget Special issue of the UPSC Essentials magazine for February 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨
