I. The Arrival & Observation (1915–1916)

• Jan 9, 1915: Gandhi returns to India (Pravasi Bharatiya Divas).
• 1915: At Gokhale’s advice, Gandhi spends a year traveling India “with ears open and mouth shut.”
• Feb 1916: Gandhi’s first public speech at the opening of Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
• Dec 1916: Lucknow Pact. Gandhi meets Rajkumar Shukla, who invites him to Bihar.

II. The Three Experiments (CAKE) (1917–1918)

1. 1917 – Champaran Satyagraha (Bihar): First Civil Disobedience. Against the Tinkathia system.
2. Mar 1918 – Ahmedabad Mill Strike (Gujarat): First Hunger Strike. Industrial dispute over the Plague Bonus.
3. Jun 1918 – Kheda Satyagraha (Gujarat): First Non-Cooperation. Against tax collection despite crop failure.

III. The Bridge: The Great Divorce & Betrayal (1918–1919)

• Aug 1918: Montagu-Chelmsford Report published. Surendranath Banerjee leaves Congress to form the INLF (Liberal Split).
• Mar 1919: Rowlatt Act passed. Gandhi forms the Satyagraha Sabha.
• Apr 6, 1919: First All-India Hartal.
• Apr 13, 1919: Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. * May 1919: Hunter Committee (Disorders Inquiry Committee) formed by the British.
• Nov 1919: Gandhi elected President of the All India Khilafat Conference in Delhi.
• Dec 1919: Amritsar Session of Congress (President: Motilal Nehru). Congress still “unsatisfied” but undecided on a total break.

IV. The Shift to Mass Struggle (1920)

• May 1920: Treaty of Sevres (Dismemberment of Turkey) and the Hunter Report (White-washing General Dyer) are published. These are the final nails in the coffin.
• Aug 1, 1920: NCM Launched. Lokmanya Tilak passes away.
• Aug 31, 1920: Khilafat Committee formally begins Non-Cooperation.
• Sep 1920: Calcutta Special Session (Lala Lajpat Rai). NCM proposal “Accepted.”
• Dec 1920: Nagpur Annual Session (C. Vijayaraghavachariar). NCM “Ratified” and Congress goal redefined to Swaraj. Jinnah, Besant, and B.C. Pal leave (The Method Split).

reading :

1921

• Moplah Rebellion (August):

1922: The Collapse of the Movement

• Chauri Chaura Incident (February 4): A mob sets fire to a police station in the United Provinces, killing 22 policemen.
• Withdrawal of Non-Cooperation (February 12): Gandhi, shocked by the violence, abruptly calls off the movement at the Bardoli Working Committee meeting.
• Arrest of Gandhi (March): With the movement losing steam, Reading seizes the opportunity. Gandhi is arrested and sentenced to six years of imprisonment for sedition by Judge Broomfield.
• Visva-Bharati University (1922): Founded by Rabindranath Tagore, it receives a central charter under Reading’s administration.

923: Political Realignment (Pro-Changers vs. No-Changers)

• Gaya Session (Dec 1922/Jan 1923): Dispute leads to the formation of the Swaraj Party by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru. They decide to “wreck the reforms from within” by entering the Legislative Councils.
• Success of Swarajists (November): The Swaraj Party wins a significant number of seats in the Central Legislative Assembly and provincial councils in the 1923 elections.
• Decision on ICS (1923): Recommendations for the simultaneous conduct of ICS examinations in London and Delhi.

1924: Communalism and Revolutionary Rise

• Release of Gandhi (February): Gandhi is released early from jail on health grounds (appendicitis).
• Belgaum Session (December): The only Congress session ever presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.
• Reformation of HRA: The Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) is founded by Sachindra Sanyal and Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee in Kanpur.

1925: Economic and Revolutionary Milestones

• Kakori Train Robbery (August 9): Members of the HRA loot a train carrying British treasury money near Lucknow. This leads to a massive crackdown on revolutionaries.
• Death of C.R. Das (June): A massive blow to the Swaraj Party, leading to its eventual decline.
• Formation of RSS (September): K.B. Hedgewar founds the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Nagpur.
• Communist Party of India (December): The first All-India Conference of Communists is held in Kanpur (Satyabhakta).
• Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–25): A movement against untouchability in Kerala; Lord Reading’s administration watches closely as the Travancore state is pressured to open temple roads to all.