Different Forms of Non-cooperation Movement

The Non-Cooperation Movement was a political movement for Indian independence started by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. The movement was a response to the British government’s repressive policies after the First World War, particularly the Rowlatt Act, which gave the government the power to arrest and detain political activists without trial. 

The movement called for Indian citizens to withhold cooperation from the British government in all forms, including boycotting British goods and services, resigning from government jobs, and refusing to pay taxes. The movement was intended to be nonviolent, and Gandhi urged Indians to use peaceful means to achieve their goals. 

The Non-Cooperation Movement was a prominent event in Indian history and is recognized as a turning point in the Indian independence struggle. It was the first mass movement in India led by Gandhi and was instrumental in popularizing the idea of nonviolent resistance. The movement also helped to unite Indians from different religious and ethnic backgrounds in their fight against British rule. However, the movement was called off by Gandhi after the Chauri Chaura incident of 1922, where a mob of supporters killed some police officers. Gandhi was arrested in 1922 for his role in the movement but was released in 1924 for medical reasons.

Different Forms of Non-Cooperation Movement

The Non-Cooperation Movement against the British government spread throughout many parts of India, including:

• Kheda, Gujarat: The Patidar farmers and peasants organized nonviolent protests against the high land revenue levied by British officials.
• Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu: Liquor shops were picketed in coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and also in the interior regions of Tamil Nadu.
• Guntur, Andhra Pradesh: The British government had imposed several restrictions on the use of forest resources. The poor peasants and tribals of the Guntur district observed “forest satyagrahas” by sending their cattle to graze in the forest without paying the grazing tax.
• Sindh: In Sindh, now a part of Pakistan, the Khilafat call motivated the Muslim tradesmen and farmers to follow the path of non-cooperation.
• Bengal: An alliance was established between the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation movement. This brought a massive wave of communal unity and power to the nationwide movement.
• Punjab: In Punjab, there were the Mahants of the gurudwaras, who were corrupt officials supported by the British. The Akali agitation of the Sikhs aimed at abolishing them.
• Assam: The tea gardeners and laborers who worked at different British plantations protested in demand for higher wages. They stopped working and many of them left the plantations. Among them, the Mahatma was referred to as “Gandhi Maharaja”.

People’s Perception for Gandhi ji 

During the Non-Cooperation Movement, Mahatma Gandhi was extensively regarded as a leader and a symbol of resistance against British rule. He was seen as an attractive figure who had the capability to unite Indians from different religious and ethnic backgrounds in their opposition to British rule. His call for non-violence and peaceful resistance reverberated with numerous Indians, who had grown disabused with the British government’s cathartic programs. 

Dandi March

Many Indians viewed Gandhi as a spiritual leader and a moral authority, and his communication of non-cooperation and self-reliance reverberated with particularly those from the lower gentries and pastoral areas, who had long been marginalized by the British government. He was a person who understood the requirements and necessities of the common people and was working to ameliorate their lives. His speeches were extensively read and distributed, and his ideas became a rallying cry for the independence movement. He was seen as a leader who could bring about change through peaceful means, and thousands of Indians were willing to follow his lead. The Indian people saw Gandhi as a forerunner who could bring about change in the political and social spheres.

Overall, during the Non-Cooperation Movement, Mahatma Gandhi was extensively admired and adored by Indians, and his leadership played a pivotal part in the independence movement. His ideas and conduct continue to be deified and admired in India today.