The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) wants Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi — to have company and break his monopoly over the Indian currency. Gandhiji has been on every denomination of notes printed since 1997. Before that, he was only on 500-rupee notes.
The RBI’s recommends several leaders like Dr BR Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Before the Mahatma, the Ashoka Pillar used to be the most dominant feature on bank notes.
Other suggestions are:
Subhash Chandra Bose led India’s first organized and armed revolt against the British, called it the Indian National Army (INA);
Bal Gangadhar Tilak is considered the Father of the Indian National Movement;
Jawaharlal Nehru was India’s first Prime Minister;
Rabindranath Tagore India’s first Nobel laureate;
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel also called the Iron Man of India,;
Annie Besant, campaigner for women’s rights and a supporter of Indian nationalism.
Great leaders, but I am sure if they are alive today they would not mind if Gandhiji has monopoly.
RTI activist Manoranjan Roy tried to find out how and when the Mahatma became the mainstay of our currency but the RBI said that there was no document recording the change. Having a new face on our currency just glorifies political leader(s) with each party having their own list of favorites.
The question now is should we glorify politicians, or have gods and goddess, or continue with Ashoka Pillar or have places of archeological importance, or Indian flora and fauna.
Should we ape the west even for this?
Why can’t it be the beauty of India if it has to be changed?
But the father of our nation is such a revered person throughout the world, why can’t he have monopoly?
Should we debate on now Gandhiji got that position, when there are many illegal notes in circulation and various other policies to be kick started?
Our country is plagued with corruption. It is an irony that the person who stood for truth is not respected and the printed paper with his photo is so callously misused!
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