Two rupee coins: Republic India-II

2 rupee, 2005

2 rupee, 2006

In this two rupee coin, the obverse shows a "double plus" symbol with four dots on each side instead of the usual lion capital or the map of India. This symbol is believed to be a Christian cross, introduced on the coins through the RBI by the tsarina, the ElizabethI of India. A lot of hue and cry was raised as the symbol was believed to be a Christian cross , even though officially the theme of this coin is 'unity in diversity', and Mr. Narendra Modi has gone to lengths bringing this symbol on the rupee to the notice of the prople, causing the RBI to withhold the mintage of this design of the Indian rupee with the "cross". This rupee with the cross was minted only for the years 2005, 2006 & 2007 and after that this rupee was withdrawn.

What is the difference between the Christian Cross seen on 2 Rupee Coins minted in 2006 and 1 Rupee Coins minted in 2005? The Christian Cross put into the 2 Rupee Coins issued in 2006 was supposedly a calculated and mischievous pseudo-secular experiment deriving its sanction from Suppressio Veri Suggestio Falsi (suppression of truth and suggestion of falsehood) for which the UPA Government in general and the Congress Party in particular own global monopolistic patents. Perhaps there was an element or grain of vagueness about it. Such vagueness or ambiguity or ambivalence as existed about the Christian Cross on the 2 Rupee Coins of 2006, was completely removed in respect of the 1 Rupee Coins of 2005. The Christian Cross inscribed on the 1 Rupee Coins of 2005 makes it loud and clear that it is a routine Christian Cross.

The 1 Rupee Coin minted in 2005 bearing the ‘Christian Crusader’s Cross’ resembles the Gold Coin issued by Louis the Pious (778 AD-840 AD), also known as Louis I, Louis the Fair, and Louis the Debonaire. He was Emperor and King of France from 814 to his death in 840. He issued a coin bearing a Christian Crusader’s Cross which has been copied by the Mint Master who included the same Cross on one side of the new 1 Rupee coin minted in 2005.

When there was a massive public outcry against these Christian Coins, the UPA Government quietly withdrew these coins from circulation.

All that being said, I still support the current government since lots of progress has been there in the last 5 years; it doesnt matter to me if the above symbol is a christian cross or not.

See also: unity in diversity 10 rupee

2 rupee, bio diversity:1993

The reverse of this coin shows some mountains, plants, sun, clouds and some living beings like birds or fish. The inscription in Hindi reads " vishwa khadya diwas jaiwik vividhta" which means world food day biodiversity. This is also one of the themes of the food and agricultural organization or the F.A.O. , published in Rome and emphasizing on understanding the importance of the natural resources and managing and utilising nature's diversity with efficiency and preserving it for the posterity.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is highlighting biological diversity as a key to ending world hunger. VOA's Peter Heinlein reports on World Food Day observances Monday at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The Food and Agriculture Organization is warning that crops and animal species are fast disappearing from the earth.FAO officials estimate that over the past century, more than three quarters of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost. Today, just 12 crops and 14 animal species provide most of the world food.

At a World Food Day observance, FAO chief Jacques Diouf told an international audience that the shrinking gene pool means fewer opportunities for growth and breakthroughs in agriculture.

"No one can predict the future," he said. "No one knows which traits from which species may hold the key to tomorrow's agricultural breakthrough. For this reason we must preserve as much as we can of the world agricultural biodiversity."

Mr. Diouf said he remains hopeful of reaching the U.N. goal of cutting in half the number of people suffering from hunger by 2015. He said for many poor farmers, the diversity of life may be their best protection against starvation.

"While we all depend on biodiversity, the people who rely most directly on it and who are most immediately affected by its loss are the roughly 900 million extremely poor men, women and children who live in rural areas," she said. "There, in the Great Lakes valleys of Africa, in the forests of the Amazon or in the vital river systems of Southeast Asia, women and men farmers apply their formidable experience to harvest plants, raise livestock and fish every day to ensure their families food security."

The U.N. observance also featured a video-conference link between farmers and school children who are participating in a pilot project linking school gardens in Latin America, Africa and the United States.

World Food Day was proclaimed in 1979 to heighten public awareness of the challenges of hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

2 rupee, railway: 2003

This coin was minted on the occasion of the completion of 150 years of the Indian railways since its inception on April 16, 1853. The 150th year was marked by year long celebrations and was capped off by unveiling the railway mascot, Bholu the elephant, which is also shown on the obverse of this coin. The elephant was chosen as a mascot because elephants carry load, and are not aggressive. Thus the mascot keeps in line with the projected "big, friendly and helpful" image of the Indian railways.

History of Indian railways: The railway network was laid in India by the British to intermesh the economies of the two countries. The building of railways in India brought about unintended as well as hoped for consequences in economic, political and military front. The new railways tied the the different parts of India together more closely than ever before.

There were Indian merchants , both in Calcutta and Bombay who took an interest in founding of the railways. The most prominent of these was a remarkable Bengali merchant Prince Dwarkanath Tagore , grandfather of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. Dwarkanath's firm Carr, Tagore & Company, is reported to have offered in 1844, to raise one-third of the capital required for a railway from Calcutta northwest to the coalfields above Burdwan. After Dwarkanath's premature death a few years later the other Indian businessmen played only a passive role. The conception, promotion and launching of India's railways were all British. ( Daniel Thorner 1955)

The Railway Age dawned in India on 16th. April 1853, when the first train ran from Bombay to Thane, a distance of 21 miles(33.81 Km.) For some years before that the idea of building railways in India had taken concrete shape with the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London. The East India Company had obtained a foothold in India as a trading company, but gradually lost most of its privileges it had enjoyed as an instrument of commerce. It had , however been made responsible for the governance of India under the supervision of a Court of Directors in London. The final authority lay , of course , with the British Cabinet, who acted on the advice of its special Board of \control for Indian Affairs. There was a Governor General at Fort William in Calcutta, having superintending authority over the administration of India.

The first proposals for construction of railways in India were presented in 1844 to East India Company in London by, (a) East Indian Railway Company headed by R.McDonald Stephenson, and (b) Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company.

George Stephenson the great British Locomotive inventor was one the first Directors of GIPR and his son Robert Stephenson was appointed as the consulting engineer based at London.

Both E.I.R. and G.I.P.R were incorporated in England for the purpose of constructing railway lines in Calcutta and Bombay presidencies respectively. Though GIPR company was formed in 1844. George Stephenson could not see his Locomotives run on Indian soil as he died in 1848.

Lord Hardinge was the Governor General of India at this point of time. He considered the proposals from political, military and commercial point of view and thought that Court Of Directors of East India Company should liberally give assistance to private capitalists, willing to make railways in India , without waiting for proof that the construction of railways in India should yield reasonable profit. The Court of Directors in their suggestion that the first attempt should be made on a limited scale due to some difficultiesn like

1. Periodical rains and inundations;

2. The continued action of violent winds, and influence of a vertical sun;

3. The ravages of insects and vermin upon timber and earth work;

4. The destructive effect of spontaneous vegetation of Underwood upon earth and brick work;

5. The unenclosed and unprotected tracts of the country though which railroads would pass;

6. The difficulty and expenses of securing the services of competent and trustworthy engineers.

Inspite of all the difficulties, and whatever may the reason be for the British buildingt the railways, this was one good work that the British did in India that proved immensely beneficial for us in the long run.