In 2005, when Tushar Arun Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, re-enacted the Dandi March, a Bapu look-alike joined him from Sabarmati Ashram near Ahmedabad, Gujarat. “He used to irritate me initially as he used to dress-up like Bapu,” recalls Tushar. But some incidents during the 26-day-long journey involving the look-alike not only changed Tushar's opinion about him but also prodded him to restore the original Dandi track taken by Bapu.
“Once we were crossing a highway and a car crossed us. After a few minutes a car stopped and the family travelling in it came out to meet us. Their daughter-in-law was carrying a newborn baby. Teary-eyed, she put the baby on Bapu's look-alike's feet for blessings,” he recounts.
Tushar adds that the caste system is very strong in Gujarat but whichever village they crossed, people came out of their homes to see 'Bapu'. “In fact, they were so moved that they had tears rolling down their eyes. They garlanded him and touched his feet.”
Besides, this person was equally dedicated. Almost everyday while Tushar complained about the hardships of the journey and thought he won't be able to finish the 241 mile walk. “He covered the distance barefoot without any complaints”.
On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi and his 80 handpicked supporters started from Sabarmati Ashram on a nearly 400km march across Gujarat to the coastal city of Dandi. The march was against the heavy tax levied by the British rulers on salt.
Dandi March was a symbol of protest against the British rule. It also sparked off the Civil Disobedience Movement in the country.
Tushar was so moved by all this that he resolved to restore the original Dandi track as form of commitment towards the future generation. “The journey made me realise that a lot of original route had got lost because politicians took the convenient route and villages had changed over time. If we don't conserve our history how are we going to inspire people.”
So, he approached the then prime minister Manmohan Singh, who promised to help. He also joined hands with Sudarshan Iyenger, the vice chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith, a university established by Mahatma Gandhi, did research and revisited the route thrice between 2009 to 2014 to mark the real places crossed by Bapu.
“Those days, Google maps was gaining popularity in India. So I thought why not put some markers, which can be picked up by the satellite and get highlighted on the map. I approached them but they suggested I do it myself.”
It was tough but the hardwork paid off and Tushar succeeded in tracing 80 per cent of the original route. “The rest 20 per cent is guess work based on information we got from books and photo archives of Sabarmati Ashram.”
Later, realising the importance of the historical route and Tushar's mammoth effort, Google Earth joined hands with him and now the story of the Dandi Kooch, the Epic Salt March is now on Google Earth.
One can download the new product by clicking on Voyager and see route (currently first on the Editor's choice segment) that is flagged with all the halts marked and the see story of the march being unfolded.
“It is one more feather in my cap as I initiated the project and provided all the information and the history,” Tushar says.
