Dandi March and the Spread of Salt Law Disobedience
Modern History › Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences · Topic 20.4
Gandhi began the Dandi March on 12 March 1930 with 78 members of Sabarmati Ashram, marched about 240 miles through Gujarat and broke the salt law at Dandi on 6 April 1930. Defiance of the salt law then spread across the country, with Gandhi arrested on 4 May 1930, the Dharasana raid on 21 May, and movements in many provinces.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences
At a Glance
- March 12 March to 6 April 1930; 78 members; about 240 miles
- Salt law broken 6 April 1930 at Dandi
- Gandhi arrested 4 May 1930
- Dharasana 21 May 1930; 2 dead and 320 injured in a lathi-charge
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences
Where Does It Fit?
This is the fourth topic of the category on the Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences. The previous topic covered the eleven demands and the choice of salt. This topic covers the march and the movement’s spread. The next topic covers the extent of mass participation. Previous topic: Gandhi’s Eleven Demands and the Choice of Salt.
What Was the Dandi March?
On 2 March 1930 Gandhi informed the Viceroy of his plan, whose significance few realised at first. Gandhi, with 78 members of Sabarmati Ashram, was to march from his headquarters at Ahmedabad through the villages of Gujarat for 240 miles. On reaching the coast at Dandi, the salt law was to be broken by collecting salt from the beach.
Thousands thronged the ashram before the march began. Gandhi gave directions for future action.
| Direction | Detail |
|---|---|
| Salt law | Civil disobedience of the salt law wherever possible |
| Picketing | Foreign liquor and cloth shops could be picketed |
| Taxes | Refuse to pay taxes if there was the strength |
| Lawyers and courts | Lawyers could give up practice and the public could boycott courts |
| Government servants | Could resign their posts |
| Condition | Truth and non-violence to be faithfully adhered to; local leaders to be obeyed after Gandhi’s arrest |
The march began on 12 March and Gandhi broke the salt law by picking up a lump of salt at Dandi on 6 April. The act was seen as a symbol of the people’s resolve not to live under British-made laws, and therefore under British rule. Gandhi openly asked people to make salt from sea water at home. The march was well covered by newspapers, and in Gujarat 300 village officials resigned in response to his appeal.
How Did Salt Law Disobedience Spread?
Once Gandhi had cleared the way, defiance of the salt laws started all over the country. Nehru’s arrest in April 1930 for defying the salt law led to huge demonstrations in Madras, Calcutta and Karachi. Gandhi was arrested on 4 May 1930 when he had announced that he would lead a raid on the Dharasana Salt Works on the west coast. His arrest led to massive protests in Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and Sholapur, where the response was fiercest. The Working Committee then sanctioned non-payment of revenue in ryotwari areas, a no-chowkidara-tax campaign in zamindari areas, and violation of forest laws in the Central Provinces.
What Happened in Different Regions?
| Region | Course of the movement |
|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | In April 1930 C. Rajagopalachari led a march from Tiruchirapalli to Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast; picketing of foreign cloth shops and an anti-liquor campaign followed, with violent eruptions and repression despite Rajaji’s efforts |
| Malabar | K. Kelappan, famed for the Vaikom Satyagraha, organised salt marches; P. Krishna Pillai defended the flag against a lathi-charge on Calicut beach in November 1930 |
| Andhra | District salt marches in east and west Godavari, Krishna and Guntur; sibirams, or military-style camps, served as headquarters; mass support was less than in 1921-22 |
| Orissa | Under Gopabandhu Chaudhuri, effective in coastal Balasore, Cuttack and Puri |
| Assam | Did not regain the heights of 1921-22 because of conflicts between Assamese and Bengalis and between Hindus and Muslims; a student strike against the Cunningham Circular succeeded in May 1930 |
| Bengal | Congress divided into factions under Bose and Sengupta; communal riots in Dacca and Kishoreganj; yet Bengal had the most arrests and the most violence, with strong movements in Midnapur and Arambagh and the Chittagong raid |
| Bihar | Champaran and Saran began first; salt-making was hard in landlocked Bihar, so a powerful no-chaukidari tax agitation replaced it |
| Peshawar | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s Khudai Khidmatgars, the Red Shirts, were pledged to non-violence; Peshawar was in the crowd’s hands for over a week from 23 April; a section of the Garhwal Rifles refused to fire on an unarmed crowd |
| Sholapur | Textile workers struck from 7 May and burnt liquor shops and government buildings; a virtual parallel government was dislodged only by martial law after 16 May |
| Dharasana | On 21 May 1930 Sarojini Naidu, Imam Sahib and Manilal Gandhi led a raid; an unarmed crowd met a lathi-charge that left 2 dead and 320 injured |
| Gujarat | No-tax movements in Kheda, Bardoli and Jambusar; villagers camped in princely states to escape police |
| Maharashtra, Karnataka and Central Provinces | Defiance of forest laws |
| United Provinces | A no-revenue campaign became virtually a no-rent campaign, active from October 1930 in Agra and Rae Bareli |
| Manipur and Nagaland | Rani Gaidinliu, aged thirteen, raised a revolt against foreign rule; her cousin Haipou Jadonang was hanged in 1931 and she was captured in October 1932 and sentenced to life |
How Else Were the Masses Mobilised?
Mobilisation also used prabhat pheris, vanar senas, manjari senas, secret patrikas and magic lantern shows. Sarojini Naidu told the volunteers on the eve of Dharasana that Gandhi’s body was in jail but his soul was with them, and that they must not use any violence. An American journalist, Web Miller, reported that the marchers went on steadily, heads up, though everyone knew they would be beaten down. As an analytical point, the regional variety, from forest laws in Maharashtra to the Red Shirts in the Frontier, shows that the movement worked through each region’s own grievance, with salt as the common symbol. The movement’s overall reach is in Extent of Mass Participation and Impact of the Agitation, and the Bengal revolutionary raid in Revolutionary Activity in Bengal.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Dandi Dates and numbers are stock Prelims facts
- Regional spread Regional leaders and events are frequently asked
- Dharasana A classic episode of non-violent resistance
What Came Next?
The next topic describes who participated in the movement and what its impact was. Next topic: Extent of Mass Participation and Impact of the Agitation.
Key People and Terms
- Dandi March The march from Ahmedabad to Dandi, 12 March to 6 April 1930
- Dharasana Salt works raided on 21 May 1930
- Khudai Khidmatgars Red Shirts led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
- No-chowkidara-tax A campaign in zamindari areas
- Sibirams Military-style camps in Andhra
- Rani Gaidinliu Naga leader who raised a revolt at thirteen
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- 12 March to 6 April 1930; 78 marchers; 240 miles.
- Gandhi arrested 4 May 1930; Dharasana 21 May 1930.
- Rajaji’s march: Tiruchirapalli to Vedaranniyam.
- Peshawar: Red Shirts; Garhwal Rifles refused to fire.
- Sholapur: martial law after 16 May.
Do Not Confuse With
- Dandi and Dharasana Dandi: salt law broken by Gandhi; Dharasana: raid led by Naidu, Imam Sahib and Manilal
- Salt satyagraha and no-chowkidara tax Coastal salt versus zamindari-area tax refusal
- Khudai Khidmatgars and Garhwal Rifles Red Shirts were volunteers; Garhwal Rifles were soldiers who refused to fire
Memory Hook
Seventy-eight walked, salt was lifted, and a country followed.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the spread of the movement. These points add depth.
- Dandi Symbol of defiance of British law
- Regions Different grievances under one symbol
- Repression Martial law and lathi-charges
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the course of the Civil Disobedience Movement from the Dandi March to the arrest of Gandhi in May 1930, with examples of its spread.”
How to Answer
- March Dandi and the salt law.
- Spread Arrests and the Working Committee’s decisions.
- Regions Tamil Nadu, Peshawar, Sholapur and Dharasana.
- Conclude Symbol and local grievance.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Dandi March?
The Dandi March began on 12 March 1930 when Gandhi and 78 members of Sabarmati Ashram set out from Ahmedabad on a 240-mile march through Gujarat. On 6 April 1930 he broke the salt law at Dandi by picking up salt, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement.
What did Gandhi ask the people to do after Dandi?
He asked people to make salt from sea water at home and to disobey the salt law. He also said liquor and cloth shops could be picketed, taxes refused, lawyers give up practice and officials resign, all with truth and non-violence.
What was the Dharasana raid?
On 21 May 1930, after Gandhi's arrest, Sarojini Naidu, Imam Sahib and Manilal Gandhi led a raid on the Dharasana Salt Works. The unarmed and peaceful crowd met a brutal lathi-charge that left 2 dead and 320 injured.
What happened at Peshawar in 1930?
After arrests of Congress leaders on 23 April 1930, Peshawar was virtually in the hands of crowds for over a week, followed by martial law. A section of the Garhwal Rifles refused to fire on an unarmed crowd in this Muslim-majority province, which made the government nervous.
How did the movement vary across regions?
It took the form of salt marches in Tamil Nadu, Malabar and Andhra, a no-chaukidari-tax campaign in Bihar, forest law defiance in Maharashtra and Karnataka, a no-revenue campaign in Gujarat, and a no-rent campaign in the United Provinces, under local leaders.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The Dandi March began on 12 March 1930.
Gandhi broke the salt law on 6 April 1930.
2 Gandhi marched with 78 members of the Sabarmati Ashram.
The route covered about 240 miles.
3 Gandhi was arrested on 4 May 1930.
He had announced a raid on Dharasana.
4 C. Rajagopalachari led a salt march from Tiruchirapalli to Vedaranniyam.
The march was in April 1930.
5 The Khudai Khidmatgars were led by Sarojini Naidu.
They were led by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
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