Witness History

'I designed the Indian rupee symbol'

8 snips
Oct 7, 2025
Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, a designer and PhD student who created the Indian rupee symbol, shares the fascinating journey of his award-winning design. He discusses the intense competition, cultural components embedded in the symbol, and the thrilling moment of the live announcement. Udaya vividly recalls the media frenzy that followed and the public's mixed reactions, including a humorous encounter with a priest. His insights into marrying tradition with modern finance offer a unique perspective on the symbol's significance to India's identity.
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ANECDOTE

Surprise Announcement At The Hostel

  • Udaya Kumar learned his design had been chosen when media arrived at his hostel and he saw it on television.
  • He was bewildered by sudden calls, cameras and a three-day nonstop ringing that delayed his job start.
INSIGHT

Design Bridges Latin And Devanagari

  • Udaya Kumar based his symbol on the Latin letter 'R' while blending Devanagari to reflect bilingual recognition.
  • He used the capital R form without a vertical stroke so it reads as both rupee and rupiah across scripts.
INSIGHT

Visual Grammar Links To Global Currencies

  • He added horizontal lines across the glyph to align with global currency visual grammar.
  • This choice aimed to make the rupee symbol instantly legible as a currency mark worldwide.
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