Google celebrates India’s 69th independence through a doodle (designed by Leon Hong) illustrating the Dandi March, led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930.
Google’s reason behind choosing the Dandi March, may have stemmed from the fact that it was the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. Mahatma Gandhi led close to 80 participants on a 240-mile march against the salt laws imposed by the British. It was brilliantly non-violent and a 61-year-old Gandhi also started making salt in a clear defiance of the laws in place.
It’s a wise choice indeed by the Google team, and even though we feel honoured, but the question remains, why the Dandi march?
Why not the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 widely considered the first step towards India’s freedom struggle; there are many other doodle worthy milestones in India’s struggle for independence. And even though it is understandable that one doodle cannot depict India’s Freedom struggle and hope to make everyone happy, we hope that it the coming years, the Google doodle eventually pays homage to most, if not all the glorious moments from India’s freedom struggle.
Jai Hind.