Salt of the Tears

By Seva Gaddala

It would take place at the water’s edge. The bespectacled Indian leader resolved to lead the march of thousands of his followers in this symbolic act. His people were denied access to this most basic necessity for survival. Once at the water’s edge he planned to scoop this item of daily use in his palm as a show of defiance towards his oppressors and an act of solidarity among his downtrodden people.

He always made efforts to maintain a true balance between his thoughts and actions. For this march he was going to follow satyagraha. The word is loosely translated as "truth-force", it is formed from the Sanskrit words satya, "truth", and agraha, "insistence". It would be a peaceful nonviolent protest, revolutionary act of defiance, an assertion of human rights by a class of people that had been historically oppressed and disenfranchised in India. It was also an appeal to the oppressors to see if they regarded humanity in the new age.

He led the struggle for the reconstruction of society by dismantling the historic established hierarchical order which was constructed on feudal inequality. His ideal society would be established on liberty, equality and fraternity. He also emphasised the need to discard ideas of highness or lowness and instead inculcate self-elevation through self-help, self-respect and self-knowledge.

The oppressors of his people were cruel in their dominance. They believed in their superiority and were fascinated with methods of social management and improvement. They dealt with the population at large by breaking it down into diverse chunks with specific characteristics. They indulged in violence, bloodshed, and improvised whole groups of people.

And so on that historic day the leader and his co-workers led a procession of 2,500 of his people through the main streets towards the water tank. Scooping water from the tank Dr.Ambedkar then drank it. The others did the same.

This was the “foundational struggle” of the dalit movement, a movement for water and for caste annihilation. It was a sort of inaugural event for the movement and kicked off the struggle for social justice. Dr. Ambedkar led this march to the Chadvar water tank in the town of Mahad, Maharashtra in March 1927. Three years later Gandhi would undertake the Dandi march in March 1930 where he and his followers defiantly picked up handfuls of salt along the seashore in effect “producing salt” which was against the law.

By Seva Gaddala