The Indian Rupee symbol (₹), recently replaced by the Tamil Nadu government with “₹” in Tamil script, was originally designed by D. Udaya Kumar, a Tamilian and professor at IIT Guwahati.
In 2010, Udaya Kumar’s design was selected from thousands of entries in a national competition to represent the Indian currency. The symbol, which creatively blends the Devanagari “र” (Ra) and the Roman “R”, was officially adopted by the Government of India to give the Indian Rupee a distinct global identity.
The recent decision by the Tamil Nadu government to use a Tamil-script version of the Rupee symbol in official documents and government communications has sparked discussions, with some welcoming the move as a tribute to Tamil language and culture, while others highlight the national significance of the original design.
