Mahatma Gandhi wasn’t 1st choice for India’s currency. Here’s what happened

Can you imagine opening your wallet and not seeing Mahatma Gandhi’s face on India’s currency notes?
Today, it’s hard to think of the Indian currency without his image. But did you know that Mahatma Gandhi wasn’t the first choice for our banknotes after independence?
Just like how the US dollar has George Washington or Pakistan’s rupee features Mohammad Ali Jinnah, we associate Gandhi’s image with our money. However, his photo wasn’t the original plan.
A nation’s currency often tells the story of its history and culture through symbols and images. Across the world, many countries honour their national leaders on their currency, and India has done the same with Mahatma Gandhi.
But surprisingly, after India gained independence in 1947, Mahatma Gandhi’s image wasn’t the first choice for the currency notes.
After independence, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had to decide how India’s new currency would look. At first, people thought Mahatma Gandhi, as the Father of the Nation, would naturally be on the notes. However, things didn’t go that way.
“The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) narrates how the visuals on currency notes were chosen. The transition of currency management from colonial to independent India was a reasonably smooth affair,” the RBI website says.
“Midnight, August 14, 1947 heralded Indian independence from colonial rule. The Republic, however, was established on 26th January, 1950. During the interregnum, the Reserve Bank continued to issue the extant notes. The Government of India brought out the new design Re. 1 note in 1949. 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 added.
For many years, the notes celebrated India’s rich cultural heritage and economic progress.
The currency notes from the 1950s and 60s featured images of animals like tigers and deer, along with symbols of India’s development, such as the Hirakud Dam, the Aryabhatta satellite, and the Brihadeeswara Temple. These designs reflected India’s focus on growth and modernisation, along with its cultural pride.
It wasn’t until 1969, during the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, that his image first appeared on a currency note. This special note showed Mahatma Gandhi sitting, with his Sevagram Ashram in the background.
Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait started becoming a regular feature on Indian notes only in 1987. His face was included on the Rs 500 note when the government, led by Rajiv Gandhi, introduced this new high-value note.
This came nine years after the demonetisation carried out by the Janata Party government in 1978. By the mid-1990s, in 1996, the RBI introduced a new series of notes called the Mahatma Gandhi Series. These notes came with enhanced security features like watermarks and security threads, and Gandhi’s portrait became a permanent part of all denominations.
This was a major moment in India’s currency history, as Mahatma Gandhi became the iconic figure on Indian money, replacing the various images used earlier. Since then, his image has remained on all Indian notes.
In recent years, some groups have suggested replacing Mahatma Gandhi’s image on currency notes with other leaders. Names like Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Sardar Patel have been mentioned. Even deities like Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha have been proposed.
In 2016, when asked if the government would consider changing the image on notes, the Minister of State for Finance, Arjun Ram Meghwal, said that a committee had already decided there was no need to change Mahatma Gandhi’s photo on currency.
Then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also added that the RBI and the government make decisions on the design and security features of currency from time to time.
In 2015, to celebrate B.R. Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary, the government released special coins of Rs 125 and Rs 10 denominations in his honour, but no currency notes were issued with his image.
In 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party suggested adding images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on notes to bring prosperity to the nation. This sparked a debate, but the idea was criticised by political leaders from different parties.
Two years ago, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, expressed his disappointment over not seeing Gandhi’s image on the design of the digital rupee, calling out the government and RBI for leaving out Bapu’s image from the digital currency.
While Mahatma Gandhi was not the first choice for India’s currency notes, his image has become a lasting symbol of the nation’s values and heritage.
Over the years, there have been suggestions to feature other leaders or figures on the notes, but Gandhi’s face continues to be a permanent part of Indian currency. His image, now familiar to all of us, serves as a reminder of his role in shaping the country’s history.