A tweet sent out earlier this week highlighted some strange views of the father of our nation, Mohandas Gandhi, on the issue of rape. While Gandhiji lived in a different time, his views are an embodiment of the patriarchy prevalent in Indian society. It also brought forward another debate, should there be other faces on Indian banknotes in addition to GandhijiIJ
The movement to declassify the Netaji files have brought about a renewed focus on the role that the Bengali patriot played in our independence, something that was obscured for decades by left-leaning historians, and many demands have been made for including Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s image on a major banknote. Similar demands have been made for BR Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh and Sardar Patel.
However, India can also go down a different path. The United States Treasury just put Harriet Tubman, a leading black abolitionist as the first woman on a US Dollar Bill. In addition to considering the many virtuous men for possible inclusion on a Indian rupee note, why shouldn’t India consider a woman insteadIJ While social media is no indicator of who should be considered, popular choices seem to be Savitribai Phule and Rani lakshmibai. There are of course, hundreds of other female personalities who have done India proud over the years who can be considered.
We feel that the incoming Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, whoever he (or she) may be can not just consider the inclusion of new faces on Indian rupee notes but also possible the inclusion of a woman.