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The new India is being built on technological prowess and is at par with the modern world. While it is justified to celebrate relics of our past; representation today needs to be true, current and forward-looking
A symbolic banknote depicting flags of the founding countries of BRICS was unveiled at the Kazan Summit.
New Delhi: At the 16th BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, a symbolic BRICS bank note was unveiled to counter the US dollar’s dominance. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised that the dollar is being used as a ‘weapon’ and BRICS is looking at alternatives for it. India also voiced support for the idea of introducing local currency settlements among BRICS nations. Prime Minister Modi said at the summit’s open plenary session, “We welcome efforts to enhance financial integration among BRICS nations. Trading in local currencies and efficient cross-border transactions will fortify our economic collaboration.”
The symbolic bank note unveiled at the BRICS featured images of cultural significance from the participating countries; some such images include that of Jesus Christ, the Orthodox Christian Church, a Chinese dragon, and the Taj Mahal from India. While the concept of introducing the BRICS bank note was welcomed, some have voiced apprehension of the use of the Taj Mahal as India’s representative symbol and this is causing ample controversy and debate.
Overuse of Taj Mahal’s symbolism
The unveiling of the BRICS currency bill, featuring the Taj Mahal, has caused considerable controversy already. While the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, has been a representative symbol of India for a long time now, some argue that this needs to change. The new India is being built on technological prowess and is at par with the world, while it is justified to celebrate relics of our past, representation today needs to be true, current and forward-looking.
The Taj Mahal, an ivory-white marble mausoleum situated on the banks of the River Yamuna in Agra was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It has since become a symbol of love around the world. Despite it being celebrated for a long time as such, controversies surrounding the Taj Mahal have been going on for a long time. Some theorise that it was originally a Hindu temple called ‘Tejo Mahalaya’ while another popular story says that Shah Jahan apparently ordered the amputation of the artisans’ thumbs after the building’s completion to prevent replication of the masterpiece.
Similarly with the BRICS bank note unveiling, many have claimed that India could have chosen a better representative cultural symbol than the Taj Mahal. Many on different social media platforms have commented that symbols like the OM symbol, Ashoka Chakra, Konark Sun Temple, Madurai Meenakshi Temple would have been a better fit. Despite these calls, what is apparent is that we have overused the Taj Mahal’s symbolism as a cultural representative of India and it is time that modern India looks for different more current symbols.
New India, new symbols
This discussion is not just rhetorical but of extreme importance. Symbols are pivotal and transcend languages and cultures. A new India needs new symbols to showcase its growing stature on the global stage and its modern ethos. It can no longer be associated with the relics of the past through which the world is used to seeing the country.
Many of the stereotypical views of India that the world has, over time have been cemented. While the stereotypes may no longer hold true, it takes time for the world to be aware of this. This change of image has to be of large scale, encompassing several aspects related to both the country’s past and present and images in this respect are important.
If we continue to use the Taj Mahal for the BRICS bank note also, it will only continue the image of India that has been stagnant for decades. While rumblings of a new India are being heard everywhere, to fortify it we need to rebrand our image as a forward-looking nation. We need symbols like that for the country and while respecting the past is important, the only way is forward and all imagery associated with the country should be a reflection of this.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone. The opinions and facts in this article do not represent the stand of News9.)
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