48 THE WEEK • JUNE 30, 2019
Th e best known satyagraha of Gandhi was
his 240-mile march from Ahmedabad to
Dandi, where he defi ed the salt act. Th e
march was peaceful but Gandhi persuaded
large numbers of village offi cials who were
an essential part of the imperial admin-
istration to resign. Th e viceroy wrote to
London reporting how dangerous Gandhi’s
challenge to the legitimacy of the govern-
ment had become.
Gandhi sometimes appeared to exagger-
ate the potentiality of nonviolence, but he
did realise that there could be occasions
when it was necessary to resort to violence.
It has often been suggested that his nonvi-
olence only succeeded because British rule
over India was mild when compared with
other colonial regimes, and Britain’s hold
over India was weakening. But had he felt
it necessary, it appears that Gandhi would
have been prepared to resort to violence.
He did say, “I would rather have India re-
sort to arms in order to defend her honour
than that she should, in a cowardly man-
ner, become or remain a hapless witness to
her own dishonour.”
Gandhi laid down strict conditions for
someone to be a satyagrahi. Th ey included
never missing a chance of compromise on
honourable terms. For Gandhi compro-
mise was not a dirty word as it is all too
often in the fervid atmosphere created by
demonstrations and other forms of protest
today. Satyagrahis were also to be of good
moral character, having a living faith in
God, leading a chaste life, abstaining from
alcohol and any other intoxicant. Gandhi
would certainly disapprove of what passes
for satyagraha all too often today and
indeed the other forms of protest which
are so prone to violence. He might well
agree with B.R. Ambedkar who in his fi nalBARA
BHASKARAN
TITLE GANDHI
MIXED MEDIUM
SIZE 70x35cm
YEAR 1999