India Unbound
Inspirational Words
A few powerful words can make millions of people stand together. Meet the slogans that gave courage to India's freedom fighters, and the people who first said them.
Did you know?
The slogan 'Quit India' was thought up by Yusuf Meherally in July 1942. Gandhiji liked it so much that he is said to have replied 'Amen' (so be it)! Meherally also coined 'Simon Go Back' in 1928.
'Inquilab Zindabad' means 'Long live the revolution'. The poet Maulana Hasrat Mohani first used it in 1921. Later, Bhagat Singh and his friends made it famous all over India.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak made the line 'Swaraj (self-rule) is my birthright and I shall have it' famous, first in Marathi. People called him 'Lokmanya', meaning 'accepted by the people as their leader'.
Try this: Make Your Own Slogan
Great slogans are short, strong and easy to shout together. Pick a cause you care about, such as saving water, keeping your school clean or being kind to animals. Write a slogan of six words or fewer. Try using rhyme or repeating a sound. Make a colourful poster with it and put it up at home or in class!
Go further: A Walk That Shook an Empire
In 1930, words turned into action. Gandhiji and 78 followers walked from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi, a village by the sea in Gujarat. They walked about 387 km in 24 days! A British law made people pay a tax on salt. On 6 April 1930, Gandhiji picked up salty mud at Dandi to make salt, peacefully breaking the unfair law. This is called the Salt March or Dandi March.