Salt Satyagraha
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'Salt Satyagraha' 82cm x 112cm © Claire Passmore 2017

'Mahātmā Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi' 63cm x 101cm © Claire Passmore 2018

​Salt Satyagraha
82cm x 111cm​
Salt was of great importance to the alchemists, being one of the so called 'Tria Prima'. Along with mercury and sulphur they believed all matter was composed of varying amounts of these 3 materials, with gold being the perfect balance of all 3.

Salt is a vital mineral for all living things - this fact has led it to be much abused by those seeking to make profit. In India the British-ruled government made it illegal for anyone without a licence to collect or manufacture salt, thus controlling the market. For centuries Indian people who lived near the coast had collected the naturally occurring salt from the beaches and used it for their own needs. Not only that, the British levied a heavy tax on the purchase of salt and as a result made this important dietary staple a very expensive commodity. This was widely seen as yet another unjust part of life under British rule.

​Between 1920 and 1922 the opposition to British rule in India gathered pace and protest movements grew strong.  One of the main leaders was Mohandas Karamchand 'Mahatma' Gandhi, who felt the best way to approach the situation was by adopting the concept of using direct action and nonviolent protest against the British, a concept he named 'Satyagraga'.

 ​​On 12 March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led a peaceful and passive 24-day march from his home to the town of Dandi near the coast. His aim was to walk to Dandi, gathering protesters along the way, and end on the beach where he would illegally collect grains of salt from the sand and therefore break the salt law. His march gained worldwide attention and gave impetus to the campaign for Indian independence, being widely recognised as the start of the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement. ​Unfortunately the so called 'Dandi March' or 'Salt March' march did not succeed in its own right, but was an important turning point in the independence movement. It was not until 1947 that India was finally granted independence from Great Britain.

​You can read more about the making of this quilt from two blog posts I made as I was making the quilt. Click on the buttons below to view the posts.

​Mahātmā Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
63cm  x 101cm
​Instantly recognised the world over as the powerful, yet mild-mannered man who used peaceful means to achieve change.  Known to his many followers as Mahatma, or ‘the great-souled one, Mohandas Gandhi devoted his life to achieving change against injustice.  He is depicted at different stages of his life and surrounded with impressions of his own made spinning wheel, one of the many tools he used to quietly make his point.

This quilt is deliberately quiet and pale,  a gentle quilt for a gentle man.


Gandhi was known to be a very shy man who for many years was uncomfortable speaking in public. As a result he was a very good listener and used this to his advantage throughout his life. In his early manhood he travelled to London to train in law, but on his return to India he found it difficult to find work. This led him to take a job in South Africa working as a lawyer. There he experienced first-hand the injustice and humiliation of Apartheid, which proved to be a turning point in his life. Whilst practicing law in South Africa he took many cases that would benefit Indians and other people of colour.
Upon his return to India he and in the years following World War I he became the leading figure in India’s struggle to gain independence from Great Britain. He is mostly remembered  as the man who fought for Indian independence by using  a policy of passive resistance and non co-opertion, which he named Satyagraha. These methods inspired several other world leaders in their own struggles against injustice.


This quilt will be touring as part of 'OURstory: Human Rights Stories in Fabric' an exhibition curated by Susanne Miller-Jones. The collection will tour throughout 2019 -2021 and will debut at The International Quilt Festival in Houston in 2019.
A book to accompany the exhibition is available here:

1. Salt; more than just white stuff

2. Salt Satyagraha

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