Image: Gandhi in Ahmedabad, historical archive.
In 1918 Gandhi became involved in a dispute between textile mill workers and mill owners in Ahmedabad. The episode became one of his earliest major experiments with nonviolent labour action in India.
The dispute
Workers sought an increase in wages amid changing economic conditions. Gandhi was asked to help mediate between the workers and mill owners.
Why Gandhi used a pledge
Gandhi encouraged workers to remain united and peaceful. He stressed that they should not return to work until an agreed settlement or arbitration process was reached.
Gandhi’s fast
When the strike began to lose momentum, Gandhi undertook a fast. The action increased pressure for negotiations while Gandhi continued to emphasise nonviolence.
The settlement
The dispute ended with an agreement involving an increase in workers’ wages.
Why Ahmedabad mattered
The campaign demonstrated how Gandhi adapted Satyagraha to an industrial labour dispute rather than a purely political or colonial issue.
See the Gandhi Heritage Portal and NewsNationOnline’s Champaran feature.
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आपके लिए सुझाव
