Indian Five rupee coins - V

5 rupee,2010

5 rupee: Mahatma Basaveshwara(copper-nickel)

5 rupee Bal Gangadhar Tilak copper nickel

5 rupee: Tilakji (error coin)

The coin shown above is an ultra rare coin of the 21st century. As it so happens, when this coin was released "Bal Gangadhar Tilakji" was written on the top, where ji is an honorific. Raj Thackeray, someone always in the news for inciting controversies over really petty issues, raised the issue that ji should not be used with Tilak on the coin as it was not used for even Gandhi or Nehru, who are iconic figures. So, subsequently the production of these coins which were being released on the occasion of 150 years of birth of Lokmanya Tilak was modified and the ji was removed. Subsequent production has "Bal Gangadhar Tilak" written on the coins, and the Tilakji coin is now known as an error coin. I estimate the mintage of the "error" Tilakji coins to be like 2000-4000 and I bought the one shown above for 6800 rupees, or about 140$. This one is already a hot item.

I believe that this one currently ranks either fourth or fifth in the list of rarest coins of Republic India; after 1960 1 rupee, 2 rupee land resource, 1955 2 anna and perhaps 2004 1 rupee, respectively.

5 rupee: Lokmanya Tilak(steel)

This one is rarer than the Tilak coin in copper-nickel. Both come under the category of very rare coins. The copper nickel coin is relatively common though.

Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (29th Couplet) Described by British as "The Father of Indian Unrest " Tilak was born on 23.07.1856. His slogan, "Swaraj (Self Rule) is my birthright", inspired millions of Indians. His book "Geetarahasya"a classic treatise on Geeta in Marathi was written by him, in prison at Mandalay.Great journalist- editor, an authority on Vedas, Sanskrit Scholar, mathematician and a natural leader of India. Died 01.08.1920 "Swaraj is our birthright," thundered Tilak, the Lion of India. He founded schools and published newspapers, all for his motherland. He rotted in a distant jail at Mandalay, in Burma. he wore himself out till his last breath, to awaken his countrymen.

Tilak was born in Ratnagiri on 23rd July 1856. He lived for 64 years. Every year of his life was a milestone of achievements.

How much the British feared Tilak, can be gauged from the letter the Governor of Bombay wrote in 1908 to the Secre tary of State for India in England:
'He is one of the chief conspirators opposed to the British rule in India. He may even be the Chief con spirator. He has planned the Ganesha Festival, the Shivaji Festival, the Paisa Fund and the National Schools, with the sole aim of destroying British rule in India.'

When Tilak passed away, Mahatma Gandhi said: "He used his steel-like will power for the country. His life is an open book. The Lokmanya is the Architect of New India. Future generations will remember Tilak with reverence, as the man who lived and died for their sake."

5 Rupee: Mahatma Basaveshwara(steel)

Basava [also known as Basavanna] flourished in the 12th century in Karnataka. He was a Prime Minister to king Bijjala who ruled from 1157 to 1167 over Kalyana, a city of historic importance. Basava was indeed a great prophet for in him we find the combination of rare qualities. He was a mystic by temperament, an idealist by choice, a statesman by profession, a man of letters by taste, a humanist by sympathy and a social reformer by conviction.

Basava strove hard to bring about reformation in Hinduism into which social evils had crept in. The social and cultural conflicts which had been going on in India from ancient days were stimulating a new foment within the Hindu society. At the time of Basava there were apologists who had been giving a new interpretation to the irrational religious practices and form of thought. But Basava with a courageous frankness acknowledged the prevailing evils of the Hindu society and suggested ways and means to create a new orientation.

5 Rupee: 2009

This is the newest coin of 5rupee minted by the government of India. Various reasons can be cited for stopping the mintage of the steel coins. It felt pretty much like a 50 paisa coin and some pople even faked it. The new coin is made of Copper-nickel and is quite sleek, and slighly smaller than the 5 rupee coin in nickel having the same design. Here in Delhi people are either hoarding it or selling it in black, so its not in circulation yet, as i publish this post.