20 Rupees Jawaharlal Nehru

Issued to mark the centenary of Jawaharlal Nehru's birth, this was one of the largest commemorative coins the Reserve Bank had produced for general circulation up to that point — heavy enough that many recipients simply pocketed them as keepsakes rather than spending them. Nehru's centenary in 1989 fell during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as Prime Minister, lending the issue an obvious dynastic dimension that was not lost on contemporary observers.