Let The Haters Hate, Says Artist Who Wants Kalam on Currency Notes

Delhi artist says it’s time we upgrade our currency and his vote goes to Kalam, much to the chagrin of online trolls

Sameer Hazari added Kalam’s image to a Rs 1000 note. It’s invited cautious, positive and some downright hateful comments. (Courtesy: Facebook/Art and I: Sameer Hazari)

Sameer Hazari is a 27-year old Delhi-based artist who thinks Indian currency notes need an upgrade. His Facebook post on who should be the next face of Indian money has drawn a huge debate with more than 1,00,000 people ‘liking’ the graphic image and the thought behind it and more than 32,000 people ‘sharing’ it on their timelines.

Imitation may not always be the best form of flattery. The image that has gone viral on Facebook has also been plagiarised by several publications. (Courtesy: Facebook/Art and I: Sameer Hazari)

Speaking to The Quint, Sameer Hazari said:

We are a country of young people, most of us were not even born when we got Independence. For some reason, we seem to be bound by our fight for Independence and what happened back then. We are a young country and I’m more interested in the present and future. We would rather relate to someone who we grew up with, someone who is a role model for business and progress.
– Sameer Hazari, Videoblogger & Artist

In this Op-Ed for The Quint that went viral, senior journalist Kay Benedict writes that while Kalam is “undoubtedly the most revered and acclaimed president India has ever seen”, he was “not without his foibles, as head of state”.

His critics accuse him of being soft on the saffron camp. He was critiqued for backing the BJP demand for a Uniform Civil Code. Some felt that as president he tried to usurp executive power.
– Kay Benedict on The Quint

Unfortunately, the critics that also include trolls who’d rather argue the issue, not on merit, but religion.

“Anything that’s not Gandhi is not necessarily anti-Gandhi”, says Sameer Hazari on the criticism to his idea of putting Kalam’s face on Indian currency. (Courtesy: Facebook/Art and I: Sameer Hazari)

Sameer, however, insists that if one were to analyse the numbers who’ve liked the image, the sentiment would overwhelmingly be positive.

Sameer shared the Facebook analytics of his Kalam post with The Quint. 

Kalam on Indian currency? Why not. But let’s be prepared for the debate that will follow. We can expect questions to be raised on Kalam’s political leanings, his scientific acumen and lest we forget, outraged Tendulkar fans.