Union Finance Minister Releases ₹250 Commemorative Coin for Muthuswami Dikshithar

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a ₹250 commemorative coin on Tuesday to mark the 250th birth anniversary of Carnatic music maestro Muthuswami Dikshithar. The event took place at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi and was organised under the Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge Systems at IIT-BHU.

Before the release event, the finance minister paid a floral tribute to the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the founder of BHU. During the programme, Sitharaman interacted with students and school children, discussing Indian classical music, musical instruments, and Dikshithar's association with Kashi and his distinctive veena.

Highlighting the importance of introducing cultural heritage to the younger generation, Sitharaman noted that while children spend considerable time on mobile phones in today's digital age, participating in cultural programmes provides a different experience. She stated that such initiatives help young people understand the contributions of culture, language, music, literature, and art forms.

The event also featured addresses by Banaras Hindu University Vice-Chancellor Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi and IIT-BHU Director Prof Amit Patra, both of whom spoke on Dikshithar's significant place in the tradition of Indian classical music. The ceremony included Carnatic music performances, featuring vocalist Dr Sumitra Vasudev, veena artist Ramana Balachandhran, mridangam player Ganapatiraman, and violinist L Ramakrishnan.

The initiative to release the commemorative coin received financial support from the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, with a special contribution made by BSE Managing Director Sundararaman Ramamurthy.

According to Utkarsh Srivastava of IIT-BHU’s public relations department, the commemorative coin was issued by the Reserve Bank of India. Such coins are minted in limited quantities using precious metals and are collected as memorabilia rather than used for regular transactions. The government mint’s website listed the coin for purchase at ₹6,985, with 238 pieces in stock on Tuesday evening.

Muthuswami Dikshithar is regarded as one of the trinity of Carnatic music, alongside Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri. Known for composing around 450-500 works largely in Sanskrit that blend devotion, Indian philosophy, and classical musical traditions, he spent a considerable period in Varanasi composing works dedicated to local temples and deities.

"The involvement of institutional bodies like the Bombay Stock Exchange through corporate social responsibility initiatives highlights how traditional art and cultural heritage can be successfully supported through structured corporate engagement. Commemorative releases backed by regulatory bodies create distinct avenues for preserving historical milestones while encouraging public-private collaboration in cultural preservation." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes