Delhi CM Kejriwal Gives Example Of Indonesia To Put Pictures Of Hindu Deities On Indian Currency
Delhi, 26th October 2022: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include the image of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha in the Indian currency. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly criticized Kejriwal’s request, terming it a “failed attempt” to hide his party’s “horrific anti-Hindu face” ahead of the upcoming elections. Appealing to the Prime Minister, Kejriwal referred to a country that, despite having a Muslim majority, prints the picture of Lord Ganesha on its notes.
Kejriwal was referring to Indonesia. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Kejriwal clarified that his suggestion is not against anyone. He said that even Indonesia, which has more than 85 percent Muslim population and less than two percent Hindu population, has a picture of Lord Ganesha on its currency notes. Indonesia prints a picture of Lord Ganesha on its Rs 20,000 note- This is the only country where Lord Ganesha is on the note. Along with the picture of Lord Ganesha, there is a picture of ‘Ki Hajar Devantara’ beside it. In 1949, Ki Hajar Devantara Bey was Indonesia’s first national education minister. The back of the note has a picture of a classroom in which children are studying. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world and the third-largest democracy in the world.
The picture of Ganesha on Indonesian currency shows their ‘secularism’. The government of Indonesia has officially recognized six religions. These include Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. But the population of Hindus in Indonesia is less than two percent – 1.7 percent. Despite its small population, its history has been associated with Hindu beliefs and culture. Many such historical sites have been found which show the association of Hinduism with Indonesians.
There are many temples in Indonesia, once under the kings of the Chola dynasty. In this Muslim-majority country, Lord Ganesha is seen as a symbol of wisdom, prosperity, arts and sciences. Here Ganesh is worshipped as the God of education. This is the reason why Indonesia has given place to Lord Ganesha on the 20,00 currency note.
