On March 18, the seventh day of the Dandi March, which began on March 12th during the curtain raiser to ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, the padyatris travelled a distance of 11 kilometers between Anand and Borsad.
Hailing the chants of Vande Mataram and Bharatmata Ki Jai, the padyatris walked at double the usual speed enroute to Borsad further motivated by the, people along the way. Pujya Dharmagiri Bapu, the priest of Kamnath Mahadev Temple, blessed all the travelers.
At Andharia Chokri, people from Swami Vivekananda Mandal and Swami Vivekananda Mahila Mandal accorded a warm welcome to . On the way from Navali to Khandali, all the passengers at the Nandanand Resort were provided with tour kits. In the village of Nappa, all the passengers were greeted with flowers by the women. In the middle of the village, in the chattan of Govinddas Patel, where Gandhiji stayed, Bapu belongings are still preserved. All travelers were presengted with mementoes here. Nappa village has many memories associated with Gandhiji which have been cherished over time and fondly preserved .
After this, all the pedestrians arrived in Dedarda, where people from all walks of life gave a grand welcome and it was crystal clear that the celebration of "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" was indeed a Jan - Andolan , a celebration of the people.
In the Suryamandir campus of the Suryanarayan Society a splendid cultural program was also organized in which bhajans and songs were sung. During this time Yogeshbhai Patel explained the difference between Gandhiji's Dandi Yatra and today's Dandi Yatra, making people aware of the importance of both the yatras. After having dinner in the courtyard of the Sun Temple, the travelers rested here at night.
So far, people from 17 states across the country have participated in this padyatra. They represent people from all walks of life from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand. Uttarakhand, Bihar, Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and elsewhere, thus making it a true embodiment of collective participation.
Along the way, thousands of people have joined the padyatra, cheered for the walking party and boosted their morale by singing songs, writing welcome slogans, clapping & celebrating with one and all, the unfolding future of India.