Marching to Freedom
- a story about Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March
by Subhadra Sengupta (Roots)
Start Here
Read the following situations one might face in a school environment. Think about them deeply and mark them as 'fair' or 'unfair'.
1. Students are not allowed to run in the corridors.
= Fair.
2. Girls and boys have to play different sports.
= Unfair.
3. All students get the same grade for their work.
= Unfair.
4. Students who come late to school are asked to stay back to tidy up the classroom.
= Fair.
5. Kevin attends football training every weed, but he doesn't get chosen for any of the matches.
= Unfair.
With a partner, discuss these questions.
❐ What made you decide if something is fair or unfair?
= If something is for one's good and well being abiding by the laws, is the fair thing.
If anything is not equal or harmful for anyone according to the morality and rationality, then it is always unfair.
❐ Do your opinions differ from other people in the class?
= Yes, my opinions differ from other people in the class in few cases. May be it depends on person to person. Any thing which is fair to me, can be unfair to my friends.
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Choose the right answer.
a. The setting of the story is .................
i. Dandi. [ ]
ii. Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad. [✓]
iii. Delhi. [ ]
b. Gandhiji and the people in the ashram were marching in order to ....................
i. distribute salt. [ ]
ii. buy salt. [ ]
iii. protest against British's tax on salt. [✓]
c. Gandhiji was fighting for the ................ of his country through the Salt March.
i. freedom. [✓]
ii. pride. [ ]
iii. happiness. [ ]
2. Write True or False against each sentence.
a. Everyone at the Sabarmati ashram had to work.
= True.
b. People of all ages could go on the march.
= False.
c. The march would take one month.
= True.
d. Gandhiji couldn't convince Dhani to stay back at the ashram.
= False.
3. What are the different jobs that people at Sabarmati had to do?
= At Sabarmati, everyone had to work - cook and clean, wash clothes, fetch water from well, milk the cows and goats, and grow vegetables. Even little children had to look after goats.
Reference to context
4. "Something's up, Binni! They all sit and talk in Gandhiji's room. They are planning something. I know it!"
a. Who is the speaker in these lines?
= Dhani is the speaker in these lines.
b. Who is Binni? What is the relationship between Binni and the speaker?
= Binni is one of the ashram's goats.
The speaker had to take care of Binni. Dhani quite enjoyed that because Binni was his best friend and he liked talking to her.
c. What were 'they' planning?
= 'They' were planning to walk through Gujarat to reach the sea at a place called Dandi. They would walk through villages and towns for a whole month. Once they reach Dandi, they would make salt.
5. "... if he goes on this long march and walks all the way to Dandi, the news will spread. There will be pictures in the papers and reports on the radio, and people all over the world will know that we are fighting for our freedom."
a. Who is 'he'? Why is he marching to Dandi?
= 'He' is Mahatma Gandhi.
He is marching to Dandi to protest against the tax levied on salt by the British government. He is also marching to fight the British government and win freedom for India.
b. Whose freedom is being referred to in these lines?
= India's freedom is being referred to in these lines.
6. "Gandhiji is clever, isn't he? Dhani's eyes were shining.
"Ah, that he is!" Binda's eyes crinkled with laughter."
a. Why did Dhani call Gandhiji clever?
= Dhani called Gandhiji clever because he was marching to Dandi to embarrass the British.
b. Why are Dhani's eyes 'shining'?
= Dhani's eyes are 'shining' to know the real reason of the Dandi March of Gandhiji.
c. What does it mean for one's eyes to 'crinkle with laughter'?
= For one's eyes to 'crinkle with laughter' means that he is genuinely laughing with open heart. Here Binda, is so amused by the innocence of Dhani that he laughs it aloud with his eyes crinkled with laughter.
Reflect and answer
7. "You are too small, beta. Dandi is 385 kilometres away and only young men like your father will be able to walk with me." Do you think it is fair that Dhani was not allowed to accompany Mahatma Gandhi on the Salt March? Why/Why not?
= Yes, I think it is fair that Dhani was not allowed to accompany Mahatma Gandhi on the Salt March.
He was very small. Dandi was 385 kilometres away from the Sabarmati Ashram. Only young men like his father could walk that much distance. It is impossible for Dhani to cover such long distance. Besides, he needs someone to take care of him. It was an educational trip of school. It was a fight against the British. British army could attack on the March anytime. There may be chaos. All these never could be favourable for Dhani to face.
8. Have you ever experienced a situation where adults have not let you take part in an event? Did you feel like it was an unfair decision? Write about one such instance.
= Yes, I have experienced a situation where adults have not let me take part in an event.
Last monsoon, the village beside our house was drowned in the over pouring of rain. People in that village were homeless. They were in lack of food and medicine. They were in misery with all children and cattle. The elders of my family decided to go the them to reach them food and medicine. I was very eager to come with them. My father scolded me and stopped me to do so.
Initially, I felt that it was an unfair decision of my father for not letting me go with them. Then my grandmother explained me why it was not good for me to go in that unfavourable situation. There may be various kinds of dangers. I many not be able to move in the water. I may be washed away with the current of water. There might be poisonous snakes. There might be the germs of water borne diseases. Then I understood my father's point of view for not taking me with them.
9. Do you think that marching is a good way of protesting against something unfair? Is it always possible to organize a march for smaller causes?
= Yes, I think that marching is a good way of protesting against something unfair. It is a peaceful way to protest and let people and the world know what has happened which is morally wrong.
It is always not possible to organize a march for smaller causes. We should lodge complain to the concerned higher authority and appeal to solve the problem as early as possible.
About the Author :
Subhadra Sengupta, born in Delhi, is an Indian author who has published over 40 notable works of historical fiction and non-fiction for children.