LUCKNOW:
Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of
Mahatma Gandhi, and his associates will retrace the Dandi march from March 12 to April 6 next year to remind the country of the importance of non-violence, tolerance, love and peace, the values for which Bapu laid down his life.
“The march will be taken out to promote inclusivity, equality, justice and sustainability and to counter the current intolerant atmosphere in the country,” Tushar (59) told TOI on the sidelines of the lit fest at Sangeet Natak Akademi where he addressed the session ‘Baa aur Bapu’. In 1930, the Mahatma had led a 384km march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in protest against the salt tax imposed by colonial rulers. The march mobilised the entire country and is a landmark in India’s freedom struggle. “The situation today is not the one Bapu and our freedom fighters had dreamt of when they liberated India from the British,” Tushar stressed.
The Dandi rerun will be open to anyone who is a Gandhian at heart. “We are expecting participants from India and abroad. People can join the march from anywhere along the route,” he said.
Tushar recalled that on the 75th anniversary of Dandi march, saw huge public participation. “We will also urge participants to help fund build village schools in areas that fall on the route, including Bhimrad where Bapu was famously photographed picking up salt crystals during the march,” he added. He recalled several anecdotes about Bapu and Baa (
Kasturba Gandhi
), emphasising that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi would have never been a Mahatma had it not been for his selfless wife. Asked about
Gujarat
government’s decision to convert Sabarmati into a worldclass memorial, Tushar said he would continue to oppose it as it would affect those living there for years.
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