The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Platinum jubilee celebrated

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 10, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Platinum jubilee celebrated

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE, APRIL 9. The Fifth of April 1930. That was the day when Gandhi, along with his followers ended the 25-day famous Salt Satyagraha or the Dandi March at Dandi in Gujarat to break the British salt law.

On April 6, when Gandhi took five gms of salt from the Dandi seashore 75 years ago, the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Dandi March was celebrated by various organisations on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Under the auspices of the Walajapet Town Congress and Soniaji Ideology Forum, about 63 volunteers led by J.Hassan, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee led a "Dandi Padayatra" from the bus stand in Walajapet on Tuesday morning and returned to the same place on Wednesday night, after covering a distance of 52 km, passing through 20 villages.

On the first day, the "Padayathra" passed through the villages of Ananthalai, Senkadumottur, Padiyambakkam, Pallur, Valluvambakkam, Edapalayam, Itchanthangal, Ramapuram Colony, Musiri, Kuppathumottur and Bagaveli.

The "Padayathra" continued to Chennasamudram, Poondi, Thirumalaichery, Anicut, Gudimallur, Devadanam, Vannivedu and V.C.Mottur. Freedom fighter, A.Danasekaran inaugurated the march, while A.Ramaswamy, social worker and secretary of the Deenabandhu Ashram, Walajapet felicitated the participants.

Participating in the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Dandi March organised by the Field Publicity Office in the Deenabandhu Ashram, Walajapet on Wednesday, freedom fighter, Raju Sharma said that the ship which took mineral wealth from India to the United Kingdom came back with salt which was used as load for the vessel.

With the intention of selling the British salt to the Indians, the British government not only levied tax on the salt but also banned indigenous production of salt.

It was to protest against this draconian law that Gandhiji undertook the famous Dandi March, which kindled patriotic feelings among the people across the country and imbued them with the spirit to fight slavery. This also transformed the freedom movement into a popular movement, he said.

K.K.Sivaraman, manager, Gandhi Mission Vidyalaya presided. Ramasamy, T.Sivakumar, Field Publicity Officer and K.Ranganathan, headmaster, Gandhi Mission Vidyalaya spoke.

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