DANDI, April 7: Sixty-eight years after the Mahatma led his followers from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi, 80-odd people relived history by walking the same route, crossing 100 villages across seven districts and 250 miles. But when the march -- which was flagged off 26 days ago -- ended last night, resentment and complaints overcame pride and patriotism.When the Surajya Dandiyatra '98 ended, some of the marchers complained that they were not told they were embarking on a 25-day walk. By the time they realised what they were in for, a grand flagging-off ceremony had already been held.
There were charges of mismanagement and authoritarianism, too. And more than half the participants actually covered the route in buses, while the others trudged through the countryside. "They rode in buses while we walked", says Nirmala Devi, who came all the way from Manipur.
Says All India Radio artiste Nila Langeh from Jammu and Kashmir, who completed the trek in the company of her husband Subhash, "We werejust told we had to take part in cultural programmes en route and that we would be travelling in a bus across the State. No one told us we would have to walk."
Adds Subhash: "Initially, we felt we had been cheated. But then the response from the people in the villages we visited was so heartening, we carried on. If we completed the yatra, it was only because of our reverence for Gandhiji and J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who personally asked us to participate."
While the Langehs had to put up with inconvenience and discomfort, Baburam Thakur, leader of the seven-member group from Himachal Pradesh, alleges they almost had to give up hope on life after being deserted by the rest of the marchers. "We didn't have a clue as to where we were", he says.
"There was no water, no shade in the vicinity. Two women in the group fainted in the heat. Then a young local boy -- he must have been four years old -- spotted us and took us to where the rest of the marchers were",remembers Thakur.
Group leader ManojShukla reportedly handed over one marcher -- Durlabh Baria -- to the Amod police in Bharuch district because he argued with him. Though most of the marchers were already complaining about Shukla's high-handedness, other intervened to make peace and the march continued.
Many of the participants reportedly lost their cash, wristwatches, clothes and even footwear during their overnight stays in villages.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
