Arrested at last

May 5, 2023

Four weeks after Gandhi made salt in 1930, he was still free. Tens of thousands of people had copied him in breaking the law; in hundreds of places, people collected salt, produced it from sea water, and sold it illegally. Gandhi was clear that this should be done openly, with a willingness to face the legal consequences, which included fines and imprisonment. By the end of April, more than 60,000 people had been arrested.

Gandhi waited for his turn; he made salt again and again; and he called for people to remain nonviolent when he was arrested. Gandhi made speeches; the British Viceroy made it a felony for the press to report on civil disobedience. Finally, on May 4, he wrote the Viceroy a letter, announcing he would march on the government-owned salt works at Dharasana, and claim the piles of white crystals in the name of the people.

In the early hours of May 5, 1930, the police came for him in the camp. Gandhi took it as a badge of honor that they only brought a handful of offcers. He politely asked for time to brush his teeth, and there was some singing before he was taken away. Then, Gandhi’s time as leader of the Salt Satyagraha came to an end. The British decided not to risk giving him a day in court, and instead dredged up a century-old regulation so he could be held without charges.

The chain of command soon landed on Sarojina Naidu. She was a famous poet who had also succeeded Gandhi as president of the Indian National Congress a few years earlier. A few weeks later, she led the march on the Dharasana salt works.

The resulting press coverage achieved Gandhi's goal of earning world sympathy in the court of public opinion. The British surrendered the moral high ground. But civil disobedience continued, until more than 100,000 people had been arrested. And Gandhi, arrested at last, waited in his jail cell until the British were ready to negotiate. He was still there when Time magazine declared him their Man of the Year for 1930.

What’s something that you’ve wanted, but had to wait for someone else’s cooperation?