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{{Short description|Civil resistance movement organized by Gandhi in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox event
| title = Kheda Satyagraha
| image = Gandhi Kheda 1918.jpg
| caption = [[Mahatma Gandhi]] in 1918, when he led the Kheda Satyagraha
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| english_name = Khaira movement
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| date = 22 March — 5 June 1918
| location = [[Kheda district]], [[Gujarat]], [[British Raj|India]]
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| organisers = [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]], [[ Mahatma Gandhi]], [[Indulal Yagnik]], [[Shankarlal Banker]], [[Mahadev Desai]], [[Narhari Parikh]], [[Mohanlal Pandya]] and [[Ravi Shankar Vyas]]
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The '''Kheda Satyagraha of 1918''' was a [[satyagraha]] movement in the [[Kheda district]] of [[Gujarat]] in [[British Raj|India]] organised by [[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi]] during the period of the [[British Raj]]. It was a major revolt in the [[Indian independence movement]]. It was the second Satyagraha movement, which was launched 7 days after the Ahmedabad mill strike. After the successful Satyagraha conducted at Champaran<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/kheda-satyagraha-centenary-mahatma-gandhi-sardar-vallabhbhai-patel/210282|title=100 years of Kheda Satyagraha and Gandhi's journey from Mohandas to Mahatma {{!}} India News|access-date=2018-10-30|language=en-GB}}</ref> in Bihar, Gandhi organised the movement to support peasants who were unable to pay the revenue because of famine and plague epidemic.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PJeKBAAAQBAJ&q=Barharwa&pg=PA158|title=Modern India 1886-1947|last=Sarkar|first=Sumit|year=2014|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9789332540859|language=en}}</ref>

== Leaders ==
In Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi was chiefly the spiritual head of the struggle. He was assisted by the newly joined Satyagraha [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]] and other local lawyers and advocates namely [[Indulal Yagnik]], [[Shankarlal Banker]], [[Mahadev Desai]], [[Narhari Parikh]], [[Mohanlal Pandya]] and [[Ravi Shankar Vyas]]. They toured the countryside, organised the villagers and gave them political leadership and direction.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PJeKBAAAQBAJ&q=Barharwa&pg=PA158|title=Modern India 1886-1947|last=Sarkar|first=Sumit|year=2014|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9789332540859|language=en}}</ref>

== The struggle ==
In 1918, the British authorities had increased the taxes of Kheda region by 23% while it was hit by Chappania famine and others leading to [[cholera]] and [[Plague (disease)|plague]]. Nadiad collector refused any aid from 'Anavari' system of taxes in spite of Sardar Patel and Mahatma's meetings.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kheda Satyagraha|first=Sjt. Shankarlal|last= Parikh of Kathlal}}</ref> Initially started by [[Mohanlal Pandya]] and [[Narhari Parikh]], the movement later gained the support of Gujarat Sabha and National Congress.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chakrabarty |first=Bidyut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OFTqDwAAQBAJ |title=Politics, Ideology and Nationalism: Jinnah, Savarkar and Ambedkar versus Gandhi |date=2020-06-08 |publisher=SAGE Publishing India |isbn=978-93-5388-386-7 |pages=51 |language=en}}</ref> Patel and his colleagues organised a major tax revolt, and all the different ethnic and caste communities of (Kheda) rallied around it. The peasants of Kheda signed a petition calling for the tax for this year to be scrapped in wake of the famine. The government in Bombay rejected the charter. They warned that if the peasants did not pay, the lands and property would be confiscated and many are arrested.{{fact|date=August 2024}}

The tax with held, the government's collectors and inspectors sent in thugs to seize property and cattle, while the police confiscated the lands and all agrarian property. The farmers did not resist arrest, nor retaliate to the force employed with violence. Instead, they used their cash and valuables to donate to the ''Gujarat Sabha'' which was officially organising the protest.{{fact|date=August 2024}}

The revolt was astounding in terms of discipline and unity. Even when all their personal property, land and livelihood were seized, a vast majority of Kheda's farmers remained firmly united in the support of Patel. Gujaratis, sympathetic to the revolt in other parts resisted the government machinery, and helped to shelter the relatives and property of the protesting peasants. Those Indians who sought to buy the confiscated lands were excluded from society. Although nationalists like [[Sardul Singh Caveeshar]] called for sympathetic revolts in other parts, Gandhi and Patel firmly rejected the idea.{{fact|date=August 2024}}

== Result ==
The Government finally sought to foster an honourable agreement for both parties. The tax for the year in question, and the next would be suspended, and the increase in rate reduced. {{fact|date=August 2024}}

People also worked in cohesion to return the confiscated lands to their rightful owners. The ones who had bought the lands seized were influenced to return them, even though the British had officially said it would stand by the buyers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lZ0npHsht_MC&q=Kheda+Satyagraha&pg=PA77|title=History And Civics|last=Basu|first=Vipu; Singh, Jasmine Dhillon, Gita Shanmugavel, Sucharita|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9788131763186|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Champaran Satyagraha]]
* [[Gandhism]]
* [[Indian Independence Movement]], [[Indian Nationalism]]
* ''[[The Story of My Experiments with Truth|My Autobiography, Or The Story Of My Experiments With Truth]]'' (1929) by [[M.K. Gandhi]]
* [[Mohandas Gandhi]]
* [[Non-co-operation movement]]
* [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]]
* [[Satyagrah]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* ''Gandhi's first step: Champaran movement'', by [[Shankar Dayal Singh]]. B.R. Pub. Corp., 1994. {{ISBN|81-7018-834-2}}.
{{Refbegin}}
*''Peasant Nationalists of Gujarat : Kheda District, 1917-1934'' by David Hardiman
*''Patel: A Life'' by [[Rajmohan Gandhi]]
* See [https://archive.today/20200105002217/https://wikilivres.org/wiki/Day_to_Day_with_Gandhi/Volume_1 Day to Day with Gandhi (volume 1)], some original documents about the Kheda Satyagraha.
* [http://www.gandhiheritageportal.org/fundamental_workdetail/NDQtMzg=#page/1/mode/2up Satyagraha in Champaran]
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.gandhiheritageportal.org/kheda-satyagraha Kheda Satyagraha Timeline]
* [http://www.gandhiheritageportal.org/champaran-satyagraha Champaran Satyagraha Timeline]

{{Indian independence movement}}
{{Gandhi}}
{{Tax resistance}}

[[Category:Gujarat in Indian independence movement]]
[[Category:Vallabhbhai Patel]]
[[Category:Gandhism]]
[[Category:Kheda district]]
[[Category:1918 in India]]

Kheda Satyagraha of 1918 - Revision history

Neeharikareddyiasacademy at 04:51, 8 January 2026