SATYAGRAHA MOVEMENTS IN BRITISH INDIA (ALL YOU HAVE TO KNOW!!)

SATYAGRAHA MOVEMENTS IN BRITISH INDIA

The British Government appointed the Rowlatt Commission for recommendations regarding administration of justice in India. The Committee recommended greater curbs on civil liberties in India. Consequently, the Imperial Legislative Council passed two bills, one provided for the arrest and detention of persons involved in anarchical activities, the other made the possession of seditious literature a crime. 

The Rowlatt Bills had granted sweeping powers of preventive detention or enforced residence on all suspected political agitators and as such was received with dismay by every section of Indian public opinion. In opposition to these, Gandhi initially requested the Viceroy to withhold his assent for the ‘black bills’, but on the latter’s failure, he galvanised mass support for this act of defiance; he proclaimed April 6 as Satyagraha Day, a day of hartal (suspension of all business), fasting, mass meetings to protest against the hated legislation. 

The non-co-operation evoked a widespread response. The people were denied of their freedom of expression, freedom of association, right to religion and other such fundamental freedoms. On April 13, 1919, people who congregated in the Jallianwala Bagh for certain religious purpose were fired upon by the British army officer O’Dyer. This massacre, termed by Nehru as “a long horror and terrible indignity”, resulted in the loss of 1,202 lives and left 3,600 wounded and some permanently disabled. Eruption of violence among the masses during the course of the popular movement in different parts of the country made Gandhi to realise the need for teaching the people of civil disobedience and Satyagraha and launched massive training programme. In Young India he called the public attention “to constructive Satyagraha as also sometimes cleansing Satyagraha”.

Champaran Satyagraha :

Champaran Satyagraha Under the Tinkathia system the peasants of Champaran in Bihar were bound by law to grow indigo on 3/20th of their land and sell it to the British planters at prices arbitrarily fixed by the latter. They were liable to unlawful extraction and oppression by the planters. Gandhi went into a systematic enquiry into their grievances and took up their cause. His activities forced the local administration to appoint a committee of inquiry and as a result, Champaran Agrarian Bill and subsequently Act was passed protecting the interests of the poor peasants. 

Kheda/ Kaira Satyagraha:

Kheda/ Kaira Satyagraha The crops had failed in Kaira district of Gujarat in 1918 but the officers insisted on full collection of land revenue. Gandhi organised the peasants to offer Satyagraha and goaded them to refuse to pay taxes and to suffer all consequences. Even those who could afford to pay declined to pay as a matter of principle, on the face of all threats of coercion and attachment. The government was forced to yield to the pressure and to arrive at a settlement with the peasants. 

Ahmedabad Mill Worker’s Strike:

Ahmedabad Mill Worker’s Strike Gandhi led the mill-workers of Ahmedabad in a strike against the mill-owners who had refused to pay them higher wages and exploited them severely. He rallied behind them by under-taking a fast and this united all so firmly that the mill-owners gave in on the fourth day of the fast and agreed to a 35 per cent wage increase.

Bardoli Satyagraha :

The Bardoli Satyagraha, led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel with undisputed zest, marks an important movement with non-violence as its hallmark. In 1928, the taluka contained 137 villages with some parts of it rich in crops like cotton, rice etc. The peasants of the region were incensed by a large increase in land revenue announced by the British government. The non-violent movement started after two years of petitioning and protesting, with the peasants moving a resolution on non-payment of taxes until the government considered withdrawing the increase in revenue. Large number of men and women participated in this Satyagraha movement wherein they were threatened by the government that their land would be forfeited. An iron will is said to have prevailed in Bardoli with mass resignations from the village headmen and the subordinate officers. After a four-month battle and a spate of observations, threats of arrests and continuous assessment of situation, peace was opted for and led to the reinstatement of the headmen and talatis and release of arrested Satyagrahis. Following a careful scrutiny of official records and taking stock of the situation, the government annulled the increase which they tried to enforce at any cost. The leadership acumen of Patel was recognised by one and all and earned him the credit of being a true disciple of Gandhi. Sarojini Naidu, a prominent leader, noted that Patel ‘translated Gandhi’s teachings into practical, dynamic action’ (cited in Rajmohan Gandhi,Patel)

Salt Satyagraha :

The British had decided to take the Indian salt back to Britain and refine it and repackage it and sell it back to the Indian people at about 20 times the price. The enormous taxes imposed on salt, an essential commodity that everybody needs every day, was perceived by one and all totally unjust, and made Gandhi to decide to defy the salt tax. He decided to break the infamous salt law as it affected everybody, Hindus and Muslims, rich and poor. Gandhi calculated that movement against oppressive salt laws would unite the people irrespective of their religion, region or economic status. The Salt Satyagraha was organised in 1930, when Gandhi announced to the nation that he was going to defy the salt laws enacted by the British and defy the British government. When Gandhi began the march, 247 miles to the sea, on March 12, 1930, it just caught the imagination of the people and millions poured out into the streets; the response was so tremendous that the Congress doubters also began to see the wisdom of it, and the British government was taken completely by surprise. It turned out to be a turning point in the freedom struggle in India. Gandhi’s Satyagraha reached the pinnacle of success, and the Indian Nationalist movement reached a feverish pitch, forcing the government to initiate procedures towards the Gandhi-Irwin pact, followed by the Second Round Table Conference, where Gandhi gave one of his greatest speeches exposing the evils of the British rule and endorsing the methods of Satyagraha.

Individual Satyagraha 

From his experience, Gandhi understood that every individual is not fit to be a ‘Satyagrahi’ by inclination and temperament and so, there was a virtual need for training and conditioning. He was aghast with the mass violence in retaliation of use of force by the state agencies like police. As such, in October 1940, when he thought of launching a fresh Satyagraha movement, it was decided that the campaign should be limited to selected individuals who were trained to be Satyagrahis. To his credit, Vinoba Bhave was selected by Gandhi to be the first leader to offer Satyagraha. Satyagraha by that time has gained wide popularity, and there were committed Satyagrahis all over the country. The Quit India Movement reclaimed the ideals of Satyagraha, which finally went a long way in securing Indian independence by August 15, 1947