Mailar Mahadev’s march to Dandi with Gandhiji

Mailar Mahadev (18yrs) second from right 

A year ago I  met  V.P.Baligar, CMD  of the Housing Development Corporation (HUDCO)  who informed me about his uncle Mailar Mahadev, only one from Karnataka who participated in the Dandi march led by Gandhiji . The Salt Satyagraha started on March 12, 1930, with the undertaking of the Dandi March. It was the next significant non-violent protest against the British, after the Non-movement of 1920-22 and India's First War of Independence 1857.

Mailar Mahadev was born on June 8, 1911, into a peasant family in Motebennur, of haveri district. His father was Martandappa and his mother was Basamma, who suffered imprisonment during the freedom movement.

Mahadev renounced his home, family and native place, discontinued his studies at the school level itself. Influenced by the speech of an elderly patriot, he threw away the foreign cap he had on his head.  He had heard about Gandhiji and on his advice began carrying bundles of Khadi on his head and sold it. He went to Kaladagi, in Bijapur district which was then the centre for Khadi, then to Dharwad, then a strong centre of Freedom movement.   He became a member of the Youth League and involved himself in constrictive activities. On R.R. Diwakar’s suggestion Gandhiji included 18 year old Mahadev in the list of 79 persons for the Dandi Yatra. He was arrested at Dandi and imprisoned for six months. His parents went to Bardoli to join the satyagraha. In 1932-33, Sidamma was also arrested and imprisoned for six months at Ahmedabad.

Mahadev continued the khadi propagation and upliftment of dalits through his on ‘Grama Sevaharm’ in 1937 in Koduru. On Gandhiji’s call of ‘Do or Die’ Mahadev and his followers took up activities to force the British administrative machinery to come to a standstill. 

On a fateful day in 1943,  as he got determined to distribute the taxes to the peasants that was forcibly collected by the British government from them, he  lead a team to attack the revenue office in Veerabhadra Temple. He was fired straight on his chest by two soldiers hiding behind the idol. Writhing in pain Mahadev prevented his followers from firing at them as theirs was a peaceful struggle. 

Mahadev was 32 years old at that time, Baligar told me. More than seventy years ago Mahadev set an example of sacrificing his life for the nation. Because of such persons the we are tasting the salt of freedom today.