Daily Times

Twenty-two-year-old art student from Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), Rida Mushtaq redesigned Pakistan’s currency as her final year thesis project.

It was displayed at FJWU during the second week of August. The idea was to showcase Pakistan’s cultural diversity and the artist researched about Pakistan’s existing currency and some foreign currencies for the purpose. Pictures of Pakistan’s cultural icons and symbols of diversity were featured on the currency notes to celebrate the country’s diverse culture.

Rida Mushtaq’s brother Tweeted pictures of her project and they went viral. While the project got appreciation on social media, the artist also came under criticism for not adding Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s picture in the redesigned currency notes. Responding to the backlash, the artist clarified that this was purely an art project and should be seen as such.

“It was a thesis project which required my artistic vision and this was in no way supposed to reflect what I want the currency notes to be like for Pakistan,” Mushtaq said adding that the currency notes will not be complete without Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s pictures.

Meanwhile, a rumour on social media stated that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) was considering using those designs for Pakistan’s official currency. The artist clarified that the project had nothing to do with the SBP, but some accounts on social media began spreading rumours that the country’s existing currency will be replaced by the said designs. A local channel which is known to run defamatory campaigns against activists also jumped on the bandwagon and falsely reported that a plan to replace the official currency notes with the said designs is underway. Patriotism of the artist as well as the SBO was questioned for removing Jinnah’s portrait from the currency notes.

SBP issued a clarification and said that the notes being circulated are not associated with it and also termed them “fake”. Art critics are of the opinion that the SBP shouldn’t have referred to the art work as “fake”. The clarification by SBP should have instead termed the currency notes a piece of creative imagination so as to encourage the young artist instead of undermining her work.

There were some positive comments as well and Twitter users reminded those criticising that a piece of art is an artist’s brainchild which is their own interpretation.

User Syma Khalid? Tweeted, “It is artwork! It is her interpretation. She has full right to her own interpretation – she is not obligated to include a picture of anyone. Why the abuse and aggression over someone’s art thesis? Art has no boundaries.”

Another user Uroosa said, “I am concerned about you. It is called art for a reason and she is trying to portray the different cultures of Pakistan. Just because she doesn’t have a picture of Jinnah doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about him.”

User Sehrish responded to the criticism and said, “As a graphic designer, I absolutely love these. The amount of detail she has put in is commendable. As for the negative bashers, some people just love to burn out others candles. Kudos to your sister for her amazing work.”

User Faisal Ishaque? said, “What Jinnah did for this country deserves more than his picture on a piece of paper which is used more often to bribe others than helping people. But what this girl did was to represent our country’s diverse culture. I will keep these two separate.”

Published in Daily Times, August 21^st 2018.