Pune: Senior Citizens To Retrace Gandhiji’s Dandi March On Foot In January 2026, Covering 405 km Along Historic Route
Pune: Senior Citizens To Retrace Gandhiji’s Dandi March On Foot In January 2026, Covering 405 km Along Historic Route
Pune/Ahmedabad, December 29, 2025: In a tribute rooted in reflection rather than spectacle, a group of senior citizens aged above 62 will retrace Mahatma Gandhi’s historic Dandi March on foot from January 3 to January 17, 2026. The group will walk nearly 405 kilometres along the original Dandi Path from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, marking the beginning of the new year with a journey inspired by history, endurance, and personal introspection.
The initiative, titled Dandi Path Walk, will see around 15 participants, including retired senior officers of the Armed Forces, an IPS officer, and civilians from different parts of the country, come together to follow the route taken by Mahatma Gandhi during the Salt Satyagraha in 1930. The walk is not intended as a reenactment or a political statement, but as a humble attempt to understand—emotionally and physically—the discipline and resolve that defined Gandhiji’s historic march.
Organisers say the objective is deeply personal. By walking day after day through villages and small towns, participants hope to experience the simplicity, hardship, and quiet determination that marked Gandhiji’s journey. The march emphasises lived experience over speeches or symbolism, echoing Gandhi’s belief that change begins with individual conduct.
The walkers will traverse the same countryside Gandhi passed through, observing rural life at a slower pace—villages at work, daily routines unfolding, and customs rooted in simplicity. The journey, they believe, offers an opportunity for introspection and a renewed understanding of values such as self-reliance, cleanliness, and fitness—principles that remain relevant today.
Health and safety arrangements have been carefully planned. Participants have trained for several months, will carry first-aid kits and essential medicines, and will rely on local government medical facilities if required. Wherever possible, accommodation will be arranged at Dandi Path Yatri Nivas and other historic locations associated with Gandhiji’s original 24-day march, including Santram Mandir at Nadiad.
A key component of the walk will be interaction with local communities. The group plans to engage with school and college students, NCC cadets, village sarpanches, and ex-servicemen along the route. These interactions are intended as dialogues rather than lectures, encouraging listening, exchange, and inter-generational understanding.
Participants say the walk also seeks to send a quiet message—that curiosity, learning, fitness, and purpose do not diminish with age. Walking 25 to 30 kilometres a day is not about proving endurance, they stress, but about demonstrating that meaningful challenges and commitment can continue well beyond retirement.
The Dandi Path Walk has been meticulously planned along the route envisioned by leaders such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Sarojini Naidu, and Mahatma Gandhi himself. Some participants will join the march at different stages, but all share a common intent: to walk together, reflect together, and draw strength from companionship—much as it was in 1930.
List of Participants:
Col Jayachandran Nair (Pune); Lt Gen Anil Puri (Lucknow); Brig Tushar Misra (Bhubaneswar); Brig S K Chaturvedi (Dehradun); Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar (Bengaluru); Col M J S Pathania (Jammu); Lt Col V Srinivasan (Bengaluru); Brig Girish Joshi (Noida); Col R K Singh (Pune); Col Lalit Gairola (Hyderabad); Col Subhash Chand (Delhi); Lt Gen P N Ananthanarayanan (Chennai); Maj Gen N D Prasad (Hyderabad); Col Girish Bhandari (Noida); Mr Sengathir Selvaraj, IPS (Chennai); Maj Ashish Chadha (Gurgaon).
As the walkers prepare to set out, their message is simple: one need not be extraordinary to begin a meaningful journey—only willing to take the first step.
