‘ If America Can -We Can ‘ B.S. Shivanna Revives Call for Ambedkar’s Portrait on Currency Notes

Hemavathy M N

Bengaluru, Oct 14:

B.S. Shivanna, the socialist thinker and Chairman of the Lohia Thinkers Forum, has once again stirred a conversation of conscience at the national level. His latest appeal — to print Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s portrait alongside Mahatma Gandhi on Indian currency notes — goes beyond mere symbolism. For Shivanna, it represents an unfinished chapter of India’s social justice movement that demands completion.
Shivanna, who has long championed equality through action, believes the nation owes this gesture to the man who drafted the Constitution and redefined India’s moral and legal foundation.

“When Obama was contesting in the U.S., I gave a call to the NRIs saying — when a black man enters the White House, we can say we have achieved social justice. Obama had thanked me for that,” Shivanna recalled in a conversation with Bangalore Mail. “Similarly,” he added, “when Babasaheb Ambedkar is portrayed on Indian currency, we can say we have achieved justice.”

Though not a new idea, Shivanna’s call comes at a time when India is celebrating growth and inclusion. He reminds the nation that representation must go beyond token gestures — it must reach every sphere of daily life, even money itself.

Laptop Anna’s Legacy of Empowerment

Fondly known as “Laptop Anna”, Shivanna has personally donated 510 laptops to meritorious students from economically weaker backgrounds. For him, empowerment is not just a discussion point but a duty to act upon.
“If each of us contributes in small ways, the nation will move in big ways,” he says, emphasizing that education and digital access are key to financial independence and social progress.

Action Beyond Words

Over the years, Shivanna has transformed his ideals of social justice into tangible change:

2020: Distributed hygienic “Head to Toe” kits to 16,200 government school students in Malavalli taluk, including essentials like combs, toothpaste, nail cutters, sanitary pads, and slippers.

2016: Facilitated free annual bus passes for 6,500 college students, easing the financial burden of continuing education.

2017: Helped 500 rural families receive gas cylinders and stoves, creating smokeless, healthier villages.

Sanitation Mission: Enabled the construction of toilets for 1,500 families, moving villages toward open-defecation-free status and restoring dignity in rural homes.

Each of these initiatives, Shivanna says, reflects his core principle — “Inclusion through action, not speech.”

For Shivanna, featuring Ambedkar beside Gandhi is not about replacing one icon with another. It is about completing India’s story — a story envisioned by Gandhi, written by Ambedkar, and carried forward by those who believe that freedom has no meaning without fairness.

“When that day comes, when the rupee bears both faces,” Shivanna says, “India’s currency will not just carry value — it will carry the spirit of social justice itself.”