What French banknotes tell us about history

An exhibition looks at the cultural symbolism of these notes

- Deepali Dhingra

At an ongoing exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, one can see a banknote for 500 Francs issued in 1994 in which the figure of scientist Marie Curie is right in the centre. Her husband and fellow scientist, Pierre, is shown standing just a little behind her. The two of them shared the Nobel Prize for physics in 1903, after which Marie went on to win her second Nobel for chemistry in 1911.

Researcher-curator Rukmini Dahanukar finds it commendable that France honoured the Polish-born scientist, who later became a naturalised French citizen, with a banknote. "The note acknowledges a woman scientist and puts her at the forefront like she deserves. Also, the choice of the colour depicts radioactivity," says Dahanukar, who has put together the show,