2016-04-05 Tue

Dandi March, Salt March or the Salt Satyagraha was an act of nonviolence to protest against the Salt tax imposed by the British government on the Indians. This 24-day march which started on 12th March 1930 ended on 5th April 1930 with Gandhiji picking up a fist full of salt from the shores of Dandi village.

The significance of this act was great as it defied the Salt Act and Salt Tax levied on Indians by the British. The Salt Act prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in the Indian diet. Citizens were forced to buy the vital minerals, which were freely available in nature, from the British. Picking up a small lump of natural salt out of the mud from salt planes of Dandi was an ingeniously simple way to break a British law non-violently.

In 2005, the act that kick-started a nationwide movement spreading throughout India and marked for the first time, the participation of women in the struggle for freedom completed 75 years! A Proof Set and UNC (Uncirculated coin) Set were released of INR 100 and INR 5 by the India Government Mint Mumbai.

Further there are a number of Dandi March Stamps issued by the India Post to commemorate this important historical event.