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history
Write note on Salt march. How did British reacted on salt march?
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The salt march was started in April, 1930 and it was led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi also known as the father of our nation. It was an act of civil disobedience against the British rule in india. In this march thousands of Indians followed Gandhiji. This movement was started because of the 1882, salt act imposed by the Britain. This act prohibited Indians from manufacturing or selling salt which was a staple diet at that time. The masses were forced to purchase salt from the British rulers who not only controlled the manufacturing and selling but also imposed a heavy salt tax on the vital mineral. This act affected all the Indians.
Gandhiji, along with his followers started this march on 12th march 1930, from Sambermanti near Ahmedabad to a town named Dandi. This is why it is also known as Dandi march. This march was roughly 240 miles long and as they got closer to their destination the number of followers kept on increasing. The aim of Gandhiji was to defy the British rulers by making salt from seawater. On 5th April the crowd finally reached Dandi. This march broke out all across India where millions of people joined the movement.
The british rulers were furious and arrested more than 60,000 Indians. Gandhiji was also arrested on 5th May but the satyagrah movement continued without him. On May 21 Sarojini Naidu along 2,500 salt workers marched to Dharasana to peacefully protest the salt act but they were brutally beaten up by British-led Indian policemen. In January 1931 Gandhiji was released from prison due to his deteriorating health.
Later that year, Gandhiji called off the Satyagraha in exchange for equal negotiating role at a conference which was held in London for the future of India. The meeting was a disappointment but this made the Britishers had acknowledged Gandhiji as a force to be reckoned with. Finally, India got its independence on 15th August 1947.
