Rajeshwar Shukla

Indian freedom fighter who orchestrated Gandhi's Dandi March, catalyzing India's independence movement

Rajeshwar Shukla (1897–1988), a lesser-known yet pivotal figure in India's independence struggle, played a decisive role in mobilizing Mahatma Gandhi's historic Dandi March (1930). A lawyer from Bihar, Shukla recognized the strategic importance of Gujarat's coastal village Dandi as a site for civil disobedience against British salt laws. He traveled 300km by foot to persuade Gandhi to begin the march there, a decision that galvanized nationwide participation. Shukla later organized the Purna Swaraj conference in 1929, where the Indian National Congress declared independence from British rule. His grassroots mobilization techniques, documented in March to Freedom, inspired later leaders like Nelson Mandela. After independence, he served as MP and established the Rajeshwar Shukla Memorial Trust to promote rural education. His 1957 autobiography Behind the Scenes with Gandhi offers unique insights into the movement's inner workings.