Indian currency notes.
Credit: iStock Photo
It is unimaginable now for Indians to consider anyone else other than the Father of The nation on our currency notes—but this did not happen immediately after India gained independence.
The Reserve Bank of India continued issuing the notes during the transition of power from the British crown to Indian leaders. "Government of India brought out the new design Re 1 note in 1949," the RBI website says.
"Symbols for independent India had to be chosen. At the outset it was felt that the King's portrait be replaced by a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Designs were prepared to that effect. In the final analysis, the consensus moved to the choice of the Lion Capital at Sarnath in lieu of the Gandhi Portrait. The new design of notes were largely along earlier lines" it further adds.
Government of India - Rupee One; Rupees Ten - King's Portrait.
Credit: RBI
When India was going through economic hardships in the early 1960s, denominations as high as Rs 10,000 notes were stopped, and even the size of the notes were reduced in 1967 as a cost-cutting measure.
It was only in 1969 that the first Indian currency with Mahatma Gandhi's image on it was released. The Father of the Nation found himself on a Rs-100 note.
The first Indian currency with the image of Mahatma Gandhi.
Credit: RBI
Gandhi's face appeared for the first time on Rs 500 notes during the Rajiv Gandhi administration. In the middle of the 1990s, the central bank issued a series of notes featuring the face of the Mahatma, which came to be known as the 'Mahatma Gandhi series'.
Here is the first note to have the image of Gandhi that is being used on Indian currency to this day:
Credit: RBI
Regarding this series, the RBI says, "With the advancement of reprographic techniques, traditional security features were deemed inadequate. It was necessary to introduce new features and a new 'Mahatma Gandhi Series' was introduced in 1996. A changed watermark, windowed security thread, latent image and intaglio features for the visually handicapped are amongst the new features."