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Question 22 of 66 · Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence
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Mahatma Gandhi began the Salt Satyagraha by setting out on the Dandi March from the Sabarmati Ashram on:

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Answer: Option A — 12 March 1930

Detailed Solution

Mahatma Gandhi began the Salt Satyagraha by setting out on the Dandi March from the Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, on 12 March 1930.

Background:

  • At the Lahore session (December 1929), the Congress adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj (complete independence) and authorised a campaign of civil disobedience.
  • 26 January 1930 was celebrated as "Independence Day" across India.
  • Gandhi chose the salt tax as the issue for the campaign.

NCERT on the choice of salt:

  • NCERT notes that salt was something consumed by the rich and the poor alike, and it was one of the most essential items of food.
  • The tax on salt and the government monopoly over its production revealed the most oppressive face of British rule.
  • Gandhi's choice of salt as the symbol was initially doubted by many leaders, but the movement became very powerful.

Before the march:

  • On 2 March 1930, Gandhi wrote a letter to the Viceroy stating eleven demands, including the abolition of the salt tax; if the demands were not met by 11 March, the Congress would launch a campaign of civil disobedience.
  • The Viceroy did not respond positively.

The march:

  • Gandhi set out with 78 trusted volunteers (satyagrahis) from the Sabarmati Ashram.
  • They walked for 24 days, addressing meetings in the villages along the way.
  • They reached Dandi on 5 April 1930.
  • On the morning of 6 April 1930, Gandhi picked up a handful of natural salt from the seashore, breaking the salt law.
  • This marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Results:

  • Salt laws were broken in many parts of the country; people made salt, boycotted foreign cloth, picketed liquor shops, and refused to pay taxes.
  • Gandhi was arrested on 5 May 1930.
  • Thousands of people, including women, joined the movement.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗26 January 1930 was celebrated as Independence Day.
  • ✗6 April 1930 was the day Gandhi broke the salt law at Dandi.
  • ✗8 August 1942 was the date of the Quit India resolution.

Quick tip

Remember: Dandi March began 12 March 1930 (Sabarmati, 78 volunteers, 24 days); salt law broken at Dandi on 6 April 1930; Gandhi arrested 5 May 1930.

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Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the freedom struggle from Gandhi's return to India in 1915 to independence in 1947: the Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad movements, the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh, the Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements, the Round Table Conferences, the Cripps Mission, the Cabinet Mission and the partition of India. Most questions ask about the year, cause or result of a movement, or the event that ended it. For example, the Chauri Chaura incident (1922) led Gandhi to call off the Non-Cooperation Movement, and the Dandi March (1930) started the Civil Disobedience Movement. Learning these events on a timeline is the best way to avoid confusion. Practise the Gandhian era questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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