Satyagraha

They took up the cause of home rule in 1917 and were guided in their campaign by Mahatma. He encouraged the boycotting of British goods and non-payment of taxes; he also encouraged passive, or non-violent, resistance to the British.
             In early 1930 Gandhi, Nehru and the congress made a call for purna swarag, or complete independence from British rule. Gandhi wrote a letter that he addressed to Lord Erwin, the viceroy on March the 2nd. He wrote " Dear Friend, I cannot intentionally hurt anything that lives, much less fellow human beings, even though they may do the greatest wrong to me and mine. Whilst therefore, I hold the British rule to be a curse, I do not intend to harm a single Englishman or any legitimate interest he may have in India- (unknown online)Gandhi went on to note the inequities in the salary paid to Indians and British officials. For example the viceroy received over five thousand times the Indians national income. Gandhi did not wish to humiliate the viceroy and apologized for taking "A personal illustration to drive home a painful truth". The system of administration carried out in India was the most expensive in the world and it had only served to further impoverish and endear. .
             In an act of civil disobedience, he informed Erwin that he intended to break the salt laws. The British exercised a monopoly on the production and sale of salt; the poor as much as by the rich needed this essential ingredient. .
             On receiving Gandhi is letter, the viceroy promptly wrote back to express his regret that Gandhi was once again "Contemplating a course of action which is clearly bound to involve the violation of the law and a danger to the public peace"(Fischer p 244). .
             On the March 12th with seventy-eight of his followers and disciples from Sabarmati Ashram on toe plus 220km march to Dandi on the sea. All along the way he addressed large crowds and with each passing day an increasing number of people joined Gandhi.