November 15, 2012 – The Revised Standard Reference Guide to Indian Paper Money very effectively chronicles the evolution of Indian currency dating back to 1770. The book captures the various nuances of modern day currency as well as interesting incidents that helped shape this sector over the years.
Rezwan Razack and K. Jhunjhunwala, The Revised Standard Reference Guide to Indian Paper Money, Currencies & Coins, 2012. ISBN: 9788189752156. $180.00.
The book can be considered a ready guide to answer any and every question relating to Indian currency. The exhaustive compendium features banknotes issued by the other colonial powers such as the French and Portuguese, as also banknotes issued by the banks of the princely states of Kashmir and Hyderabad, and ‘prisoner of war’ notes – currency tokens issued during war to prisoners. Among the other rarities depicted are specimens of banknotes developed by RBI in 1947 which had Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait on it. This banknote did not come into circulation because in the end, RBI decided to depict instead the Ashok Pillar, the national emblem. It was only in 1996 that Gandhi’s portrait replaced the Lion Capital on the rupee banknote.
You can find more information on this book here.