The Lesson of History

The Lesson of History India’s independence movement can be traced back to 1799, when Sultan Tipu was killed fighting the British. After that, for over a century, resistance against the British continued through violent uprisings—bomb attacks on officials, plots to involve foreign powers, and similar disturbances. Such methods were inherently dramatic and violent. At the very mention of them, the British would become alert and suppress them with full force. But when Gandhi entered the political scene, the entire course of the struggle changed. While earlier leaders demanded freedom through violence, Gandhi chose the opposite path: nonviolence. He declared that the freedom movement would proceed on a basis that the British considered trivial and unworthy of attention. A notable example of this method was the Dandi March. For centuries, salt was produced along the Gujarat coast, but the British government had taken control of this industry. To peacefully oppose the law, Gandhi set out on foot from Sabarmati, traveling 240 miles in 24 days, until he reached the Dandi coast. There, by picking up a piece of salt, he symbolically broke the government’s law. When Gandhi announced this plan, British officials gathered to discuss it. One officer remarked: “Let him make his salt. Mr. Gandhi will have to find a great deal more than a pinch of salt to bring down the British Empire.” In this world, true success depends on a move that appears minor at first but proves unbeatable in the end. What may seem to an opponent like just a pinch of salt can, when the result comes out, turn out to be a mountain of salt.