Did you know Mahatma Gandhi wasn't the first choice for currency notes? Other contenders were...

A country's currency silently tells the tale of its history, culture, and heritage through the symbols and imagery it displays.Many countries around the world honour their founding presidents on their currency, including George Washington in the United States, Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Pakistan, and Mao Zedong in China.?

India features Mahatma Gandhi on its banknotes.However, Gandhi's photograph was initially denied for use on banknotes in newly independent India. Gandhi did not begin to appear on our bank notes until?much?later.

Recently, numerous groups have called for Gandhi's image to be replaced on bank notes. Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel, and even the deities Lakshmi and Ganesha have been presented as possibilities.?

In 2016, when asked if the government planned to replace or add photos of other leaders to currency notes, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal stated, "A committee was formed during the UPA, which has already decided that there is no need to change Mahatma Gandhi's photo on the currency?notes."

What did Indian currency also feature??

Credit: Leftover Currency

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) explains how the images on currency notes were picked. "The transition of currency management from colonial to independent India was a reasonably smooth affair," according to the?bank's?website.

For many years after independence, banknotes commemorated India's rich history and achievements. Notes from the 1950s and 1960s featured illustrations of beautiful animals such as tigers and deer, industrial symbols such as the Hirakud Dam and the Aryabhatta satellite, and the Brihadeeswara Temple. These designs represented India's renewed emphasis on growth and modernization, as well as its cultural?legacy.

Also read:?Happy Gandhi Jayanti 2024: Did you know that over 100 countries have statues of Mahatma Gandhi?

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