Admin | August 29, 2023
President of India Droupadi Murmu on Monday released a special coin of ₹100 denomination to commemorate the birth centenary of the legendary Telugu actor and former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh late N T Rama Rao.
The brief but colourful event was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, which was attended by all the family members of NTR, as the former chief minister was called, including his daughter and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Andhra unit president Daggubati Purandeshwari and son-in-law and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu.
BJP national president J P Nadda and several TDP and BJP leaders also attended the event.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said NTR had enriched Indian cinema and culture through Telugu films. “He breathed life into the prominent characters of Ramayana and Mahabharata through his acting. The characters of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna played by him became so alive that people started worshiping NTR,” she said.
Former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu thanked the Union government for bringing a commemorative coin on NTR.
“It’s an immense pride for Telugus worldwide who stand united today, rising above all differences and political affiliations, in commemoration of NTR’s remarkable legacy,” the TDP chief said. State BJP president and NTR’s daughter Daggubati Purandeswari said her father was not just a hero for his generation, but is a hero even today and will remain as one for the next generations as well. “He was the one who gave so much importance to women empowerment and provided equal rights to women in family property,” Purandeswari recalled.
The commemorative coin, minted at the government mint in Hyderabad, has been made with an amalgamation of 50% aluminium, 40% copper, 5% nickel, and 5% zinc. It has a diameter of 44mm with NTR’s picture, and wording of Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao Satajayanti engraved in Hindi on one side, three lions and Ashoka Chakra on the other side.
This is the first coin to be minted with a person’s face as imprint at Hyderabad mint. As many as 12,000 coins were minted and put on sale. The commemorative coin cannot be used for regular transactions.
The coin be purchased online and also from mint sale counters at Saifabad and Cherlapally in Hyderabad. The chief general manager of government mint, VNR Nayudu, said to ensure that the cherished memento reaches as many admirers as possible, there could be a cap on the number of coins issued to a single individual. He said each coin, costing ₹3,500, would be available for sale at two counters – Saifabad Mint Compound and IG Mint, Cherlapalli. It can also be bought online at www.indiagovtmint.in.
