FOOT SOLDIERS:
Gandhi's 240-mile journey marked the start of colonialism's demise
March 12, 1930
A Disobedient Saint's March
By Amanda Bower
Soon after
saying his customary dawn prayers, Mahatma Gandhi emerged from his
ashram to greet a crowd of thousands gathered to witness the start of
his latest and most defiant protest against the "curse" of British
rule.
Mr.
Gandhi sank to the ground, [he] had to have cold compresses applied to
his head, his legs swabbed with ointment, before he could proceed ...
Newsgatherers reported they did not believe the emaciated saint would be
physically able to go much farther.
—March 24, 1930
A volunteer
band raised its horns and, it was reported, blared a few bars of God
Save the King before it apparently dawned on the musicians that a
rousing salute to the English sovereign was not the most appropriate
send-off. Their fading notes were overtaken by the sound of coconuts
being smashed together, a traditional Hindu sign of devotion.
Gandhi,
leaning on a lacquered bamboo staff, soon set out along the winding,
dusty road. His destination: Dandi, 240 miles away, where 25 days later
he would collect a few grains of salt in defiance of the British tax
that forced locals to pay prices for the compound that were said to be
up to 2,000% greater than its production costs. Following his lead,
thousands of Indian villagers waded into the sea to extract salt
themselves. Thus began Gandhi's campaign of nonviolent civil
disobedience—and the beginning of the end of the British Empire.
TIME Cover
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