12 March Dandi March Day,

12 March Dandi March Day,

By Dr Arvind Kumar

Dandi Salt March, launched under the unparalleled leadership of M K Gandhi on 12 March, was one of the momentous events in the history of Indian struggle for independence. With this historic event, The Civil Disobedience Movement was formally introduced on a nation-wide basis. Within the context of the Indian freedom struggle, the Dandi Salt March holds a place of vital significance. The entire nation stood like a rock at the clarion call of a single man, internalizing the cherished doctrines of ahimsa or non violence, and satyagraha or passive resistance. With an arouseed political consciousness, all sections of the Indian community joined the battle, which till date is an illustration of the unrelenting power of civilian resistance.

The event of Dandi March assumed added significance as it not only remained a landmark incident in India's pre-independence history, but took a symbolic significance that eternally appealed to the political and social scenario of the world. Dandi March has come to symbolize the innate potential of any form of passive civilian resistance. It affirmed the halo of Gandhi as the Mahatma, for he proved to the world that the victory of a guide is in practicing what he preaches. His notions of satyagraha and ahimsa found physical manifestation in his simple gesture of picking up a stick and walking a distance of two hundred miles, as an expression of his denial and violation of British laws.