Google Earth takes you on a virtual Dandi March this Independence Day

“I know the path. It is straight and narrow. It is like the edge of a sword. I rejoice to walk on it” M K Gandhi

New Delhi, 15^th August, 2017: 87 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi embarked on a seminal journey with 78 of his followers -- one that eventually helped turn the tide in India’s freedom movement. Back then, nobody on that long road could have imagined a reality where future generations could retrace their very steps. On India’s 71st Independence Day, Thanks to the all-new Dandi March story in Google Earth's Voyager, which features map data, compelling storytelling and archival photographs (many of which have never been released,) users can now experience the emotion felt on that long trek towards independence.

The Voyager story takes you through a journey retracing the steps of Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March from Sabarmati to Dandi in his campaign for India's freedom. The story is told in the words of Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, based on his family knowledge and his own retracing of the march in 2005, on its 75th anniversary. This full story has never been told before.

Told over a montage of 22 slides, this Google Earth experience relates each key stage of Mahatma Gandhi’s journey to specific locations along the way, recounting what happened at that location along with a photograph taken at the time. From their first stop at the Gujarat Vidhyapeeth University, learn about the thatched hut built by the townspeople of Vasana, and the heartwarming incident of a boat owner who ferried almost 400 volunteers and villagers across the Narmada river free of charge.

As you click through the story, the map dynamically shifts and ‘flies’ to each location, where at any time user can zoom in, and pan around the scene. Go ahead -- immerse yourself into a slice of history that is so central to the freedom we enjoy today.

Happy Independence Day!

About Google

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.