Gandhi’s monopoly in Indian currency ends; images of two others likely to appear on banknotes

MUMBAI: In our lives, not even a single day would have passed without seeing Gandhiji’s picture. That’s because, a smiling image of Gandhi is present on all the currency notes issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). But, in a first, the RBI is considering using the images of some other prominent personalities on banknotes. According to national media reports, the RBI is planning to use the images of Rabindranath Tagore and Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.

The images of Rabindranath Tagore, the author of our National Anthem and ‘Missile Man’ A P J Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, are likely to appear on the new series of the currency notes. According to unconfirmed reports, the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) have prepared two separate samples of the pictures of Rabindranath Tagore and A P J Abdul Kalam.

The final decision on the matter will be taken at the highest level. Sources suggest that the design of three watermark samples have been sanctioned. However, there has been no official confirmation in this regard.

In foreign countries, the pictures of different leaders are used in notes of different denominations. For instance, the different denominations of US dollars carry portraits of leaders such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln among others.