Kerala school to recreate Dandi March on 150th Gandhi Jayanti

The Sullamussalam Oriental Higher Secondary School will recreate the historic Dandi March on October 2. The entire country is set to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on this day. Situated in the Malappuram district of Kerala, the school's March would conclude at the Thazhathangadi beach. 91-year-old Dr Chacha Sivarajan, who is known as an ardent follower of Gandhi will reprise the role of the Mahatma. Symbolism will be on display as the Dandi protestors will make salt and declare the plan for ‘civil disobedience’. 

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‘Gandhi’s life becomes more relevant’ 

A press release issued by the school stated that Gandhi’s life was more relevant in modern-day society. It revealed that the students would be dressed in costumes akin to those of the actual people who had accompanied Gandhi for the March.  

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"Today, when the clouds of disunity and distrust are spreading out the darkness in society, Gandhi's life becomes more relevant. Sullamussalam Oriental Higher Secondary School's NSS unit is revisiting Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birthday journey to recognize and disseminate the unity and strength of those who are still in tears," the release said. It further added, "On October 2, 2019, Gandhiji and selected freedom fighters who participated in Dandi March in costumes accompanied by hundreds of people will start the symbolic salt satyagraha march from the MSP camp premises at Areekode to the Thazhathangadi beach. The students will be dressed in costumes similar to the characters who volunteered in the Dandi March with Gandhiji.” 

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The Dandi March

Freedom fighters strived for decades before India could achieve independence from the British colonial rule. Mahatma Gandhi’s arrival in the country in 1915 sparked off mass mobilization of the people against the tyranny of the British. One of the immemorable protests of this period was the Dandi March. It basically entailed a non-violent agitation against the steep tax imposed on salt. Gandhi, along with scores of other people marched from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to the Dandi village, a distance of over 384 km spanning 24 days. It is considered as the precursor to the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement.  

Read: Mahatma Gandhi's 150th Anniversary: Grand Sabarmati Memorial On Anvil

(With PTI Inputs)