Source: Zee news India Edition
Pune, Aug 02, 2007: In a bizarre instance of callousness, a discrepancy in the just released five rupee coin commemorating 150th birth anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak has led to the scrapping of around 20 lakh coins by the Reserve Bank of India.
The much-awaited coin designed to hail Tilak, who was called as the 'Father of Indian Unrest' by the British, had been released at an impressive ceremony in Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on July 23.
Revealing this at a function to give away Lokmanya Tilak award (2007) conferred on eminent defence scientist Dr A Shivtanu Pillaihere last night, Dr DJ Tilak, great grandson of the freedom fighter, said the coin was expected to be available for circulation on August 1, which marks Tilak's death anniversary.
Unfortunately, a mistake in the embossed words upset that schedule. "We are now hoping for the early arrival of the corrected version of the coin as thousands of patriots and `Tilak lovers' are eagerly awaiting to preserve his memory," he said at the ceremony attended by Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
The word 'Tilak' had been embossed as 'Tilakji' in minting which was at variance of the accepted practice while launching commemorative coins. The correct version will be Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Dr Tilak told reporters.
The non-availability of the coin on Wednesday came as a disappointment for a number of people who had come to Tilak Smarak Mandir, venue of the award function.
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