Root-wood coins from tree excavated under India’s Central Vista project to spread awareness on democracy

New Delhi: On the occasion of India’s 73rd Republic Day last Wednesday, the Imagindia Institute, a global think tank based in New Delhi, announced that it had minted and was going to issue a set of 31 hand-made root-wood coins, carved out of the root-wood of a tree that was excavated during the construction of the Central Vista Avenue in the Indian capital’s administrative nerve centre.

The Indian federal government’s decision to transform the central administrative area in New Delhi into a mammoth, swanky, sprawling topography complete with a new Parliament House and a new official residence for the prime minister — apart from housing all the major government departments and ministries — is as much a grandiose plan as it is a path-breaking initiative to bring the city’s most fabled colonial-era architecture out of its creaking vestiges and into a whole new realm of modern architectural structure and design.

And, like it happens with most institutional efforts at breaking away from custom or tradition and enforcing something radically different in thought and execution, the Central Vista project is not without its share of controversies.

While old-timers rue the fact that the charm of Sir Edwin Lutyens’ Delhi will be lost forever, those championing the cause of environment protection have cited the ecological damage such a gargantuan project is certain to inflict as several trees in the Raisina Hill area will have to be uprooted to make way for the $1.8 billion (Dh6.62 billion) futuristic urban complex.

The federal Urban Development Ministry, however, insists that only 22 heritage trees had to be relocated because of the Central Vista Avenue redevelopment project, while also ensuring minimum damage to the existing foliage.

As the controversy continues to rage and the jury is still out on the financial, logistical, ecological and even sentimental efficacy of such a redevelopment plan and its scale of execution, Imagindia Institute has taken the initiative to focus on something more positive surrounding this never-before project in the world’s largest democracy.

Speaking about the root-wood coins, Robinder Sachdev, president, Imagindia Institute, told Gulf News from New Delhi on India’s Republic Day last Wednesday: “As a new parliament comes up in Central Vista in New Delhi, these historic root-wood coins, made from the roots of a tree under the Central Vista Avenue, will offer all of us an opportunity to salute the roots of democracy in India. Wherever these are displayed, these coins will be emblematic of a global live-and-let-live culture.”

Sachdev further said that it took Imagindia Institute a little more than a year — from conception, to arranging the root-wood, to minting of the coins — to create these once-in-a-lifetime mementos. “The root-wood was sourced from the construction site from among the many stumps that were being removed to flatten the grounds for the new construction,” Sachdev added.

Some of these root-wood coins would be used for a travelling exhibition and would be offered to schools, colleges, museums across India, to be displayed for free for two-four weeks on their campuses in order to raise awareness about the sanctity and significance of democracy in India. “Some of the coins will also be sold and the sale proceeds will be donated to charity,” Sachdev said.

Additionally, these serially numbered coins will be registered as non-fungible tokens (NFT) and therefore their digital art authenticity will be perpetuated in the block-chain ledger. “The presence and circulation of these coins in the world of digital art will further help to spread the message of India’s roots and democracy globally,” Sachdev added.