Mohandas K. Gandhi | Garland said to have been presented to him as he began the Salt March, 12 March 1930

Mohandas K. Gandhi

Decorative garland composed of a large teardrop shaped medallion (c.170 x 130mm) of pink cloth backed on card applied with silver and gold thread and sequins in an elaborate decorative pattern, edged with gold tinsel, with four smaller rectangular medallions (c.40 x 60mm) and two triangular medallions (50 x 60mm) similarly decorated, all connected with gold threads and forming a necklace, in folded paper wrappers inscribed in Gujarati

[with:] Vintage print (105 x 80mm) of an amateur photograph of Gandhi being presented with a garland, believed to be the current garland, inscribed on the reserve (“Gandhiji Nanduben Kanuga. On the day of Dandi March. At Bungalow 12^th March 1930”)

THIS GARLAND IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO GANDHI AND HUNG AROUND HIS NECK WHEN HE BEGAN THE DANDI MARCH.

This garland was a treasured possession of the family of Dr Balvantrai N. Kanuga of Ahmedabad. Dr Kanuga had been Gandhi’s personal physician as far back as 1918, and the two remained friends until the time of Gandhi’s death. Both Balvantrai N. Kanuga (1878-1949) and his wife Nanduben were also determined satyagrahi who were willing to face imprisonment for the cause of Independence and spent extensive periods at Gandhi’s ashram.

The Salt March was a defining act of defiance against British colonialism. In a symbolic protest against the salt laws of the British Raj, Gandhi marched 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, where he made himself salt from the salt-rich mudflats and thus illegally bypassed the salt tax. He began the march on 12 March 1930 with 78 followers; the crowd grew as the Satyagrahi marched, and the procession eventually grew to 3 km in length. Hundreds of thousand also came to witness the event and her Gandhi speak, and some 50,000 people gathered at Dandi on 6 April 1930 to support the climactic act of defiance. The Salt March triggered a huge nationwide campaign of civil disobedience and brought worldwide attention to the campaign for Indian Independence.

This garland is believed to have been presented to Gandhi to mark an auspicious beginning to the march. The Kanugas were not amongst the marchers but they lived in Ahmedabad, where Sabarmati Ashram was also located, and the caption on the reverse of the accompanying photograph suggests that the garland was presented to Gandhi when the procession passed near their home. The photograph shows Nanduben Kanuga placing a garland around Gandhi’s neck. Although somewhat blurred, the distinctive triangular and rectangular medallions can be seen in the photograph that appear to match the current lot. It would not have been practical for Gandhi to wear garlands during his long march so the garland was evidently returned to the Kanugas. A few weeks later, Dr Kanuga further contributed to the cause by paying 1600 Rupees (c. $750 US) for the grains of salt that Gandhi had made at Dandi were sold to the highest bidder.

A HIGHLY EVOCATIVE RELIC OF ONE OF THE GREAT ACTS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.