Bangladesh recently unveiled new banknotes that, for the first time in decades, no longer feature Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – its founding father and ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s father – on their faces. Instead, these redesigned notes released Sunday showcase natural landscapes and historical landmarks instead of human figures; marking an impressive break with past designs. Hindustan Times +5 Daily Mirror +5 | Samaa TV | India Today | Geo News | Dawn. Initial release includes denominations of 20, 50 and 1,000 taka notes issued by Bangladesh Bank, designed without human portraits but instead featuring natural landscapes and traditional landmarks. A statement released by Arif Hossain Khan indicated this. According to Wikipedia and Pakistan Observer +4alitat Dawn +4 The Times of India + 4 The Indian Express this story received extensive coverage. This move by the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, marks a greater effort by him and others to dismantle Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s personality cult. Since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024 due to widespread student protests, measures have been taken by them against symbols associated with Sheikh Hasina and Mujibur Rahman that had been associated with former ruling family; such actions include abolishing public holidays in his honor, removing images from public offices, and revising educational curricula to exclude his designation as sole founder of Bangladesh. For more details read The Indian Express’s article here (page 284) These new banknotes feature images of Hindu and Buddhist temples, historical palaces, artwork by Zainul Abedin depicting Bengal famine during British colonial rule and one design that honors those who sacrificed their lives during 1971 independence war against Pakistan (Wikipedia +9 Dawn/Dawn; Wikipedia =6 The Indian Express | The Times of India). While the new notes are being introduced, existing currency featuring Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s portrait will remain in circulation and plans are underway to release updated designs of remaining denominations gradually. Wikipedia +15 (with link to Pakistan Observer +15 and ARY NEWS +15 coverage); or *WikipeDIA, The Times of India and Dawn coverage as appropriate). Mujib’s image being removed from currency notes marks a significant shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape. Under Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, Sheikh Hasina prioritized her father’s legacy by mandating his portrait be displayed everywhere from government offices and educational institutions, to currency notes themselves. Critics claim this single figure focus led to suppression of dissent and democratic backsliding; Daily Mirror, Wikipedia and Geo News all reported it +2 with The Times of India also reporting similar sentiments as Daily Mirror/Wikipedia/Geo News +2 (s). / TBI +2 for The Times of India with Geo News +2 and The Times of India (+2) As Bangladesh undergoes its transitional period, its currency redesign symbolizes an effort to redefine national identity and shed the political legacies of the past.:
