On 12 March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi set out from Sabarmati Ashram with a group of volunteers on a march towards the coastal village of Dandi in Gujarat. The march was planned as a protest against the British salt laws, which restricted the collection and production of salt and imposed a tax on an essential commodity.
The march covered roughly 240 miles over 24 days. On 6 April 1930, Gandhi reached Dandi and broke the salt law by making salt from seawater. The act was deliberately simple and widely understandable. Salt was used by people across social and economic groups, making the law a powerful symbol of colonial control.
The Salt Satyagraha helped transform the Civil Disobedience Movement into a mass campaign. People in different parts of the country challenged the salt laws, organised demonstrations and took part in forms of non-violent resistance. The movement also drew international attention to India's struggle for independence.
The Dandi March is significant not merely because of the distance covered or the act performed at the coast. It showed how a carefully chosen everyday issue could communicate a larger political argument and bring diverse groups into a common movement.
Timeline
- 12 March 1930: Gandhi and the initial group of marchers leave Sabarmati Ashram.
- 6 April 1930: Gandhi breaks the salt law at Dandi.
- After April 1930: Salt Satyagraha actions spread to other parts of India.
Why it matters
The march became one of the defining episodes of India's freedom struggle and an influential example of organised non-violent civil disobedience.
Research note: Before publication as a dated Today in Bharat's History entry, add citations from the Gandhi Heritage Portal, National Archives of India or other authoritative historical sources, and verify details such as participant counts and route dates.