Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Entertainment | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Snapshots of a historic march

Photographs bring alive memories of a march that captured the collective consciousness of a nation

Photo: M. Periasamy

INSPIRING SHOW The Dandi March

The story is about a fistful of salt that changed history. For youngsters who relegate independence to an event in their grandfather's time and associate the Dandi march to the feverish mugging up sessions on the eve of history exams, this is a must see.

Journey back in time

On the eve of the 75th anniversary of the Dandi march, the Department of Archives has organised a photo exhibition at the Bishop Appasamy College, and it is a journey back in time.

Clippings from diaries, newspaper reports, letters, photographs and cartoons, apart from recreating the events that led to the epic struggle, also chart the journey of the marchers.

On display is the excerpts from the diary of C.K. Nair, one of the 78 followers who covered the 241 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi with Gandhi, in a span of 26 days, to make salt, break law and make history. The diary records the routine of the days, which began before dawn with prayers and then the walk to villages where people responded in an overwhelming manner.

An empire shaken

Illustrations of Gandhi in the foreign newspapers capture the dilemma of an empire, the foundations of which were shaken by the "half-naked fakir" as Churchill called him.

Pictures, even while transcending time, can manage to capture the essence of an event that happened long ago.

It is showed by the arresting caricature that appeared in London Graphic that has Gandhi blissfully seated on the mighty British lion.

Another one, alluding to the Dandi march, shows Gandhi rubbing salt on the tail of the British lion. The exhibits include a laminated copy of Gandhi's hand written message.

"I want world sympathy in the battle of right against might," he wrote the day he broke the law and made salt from the sea.

Newspaper reports keeping pace with the growing popularity of the march are also displayed.

The Tribune headline quotes Gandhi exclaiming to the crowd during the marchers' halt at Bareja : "You look ugly in foreign clothes."

Reports of violence against the marchers are also exhibited.

But apart from these, there are the confidential, official letters to the British rulers on the impact of the yatra.

The exhibition, on till Sunday, showcases photographs of Gandhi's rare private moments, one of him sleeping and the other of him taking a look at the newspaper headlines.

For a generation for whom Gandhi has never lived beyond the textbooks, this is an opportunity to get a feel of the man who even addressed those whom he was fighting against his friend!

ANIMA BALAKRISHNAN

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail