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Meet Udaya Kumar, designer of ‘ ₹’ (rupee) symbol and son of a former DMK MLA
Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, IIT Guwahati professor and son of a former DMK MLA, designed the Indian rupee symbol 15 years ago in 2010.
The Tamil Nadu government's decision to introduce a new rupee logo has triggered a major political controversy after chief minister MK Stalin released a video unveiling the Budget 2025-26 logo.
In this new design, the national rupee symbol has been replaced with the Tamil alphabet ‘Ru’. The Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 is scheduled to be presented in the state assembly on March 14. This move has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition, with Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai calling CM Stalin's decision both condemnable and laughable.
‘ ₹’ symbol was designed by Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, a Tamilian, that was officially introduced in 2010 during the UPA government at the Centre.
Who is Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam?
- Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, currently serving as a professor at IIT Guwahati, designed the Indian rupee symbol 15 years ago, in 2010. He hails from a political background, as his father, N Dharmalingam, was a former DMK MLA who represented the Rishivandiyam constituency in Tamil Nadu.
- The Indian rupee symbol represents India's global identity in financial transactions and economic strength. Udaya Kumar, a design postgraduate from IIT Bombay, conceptualised the symbol, which was selected from thousands of entries submitted in an open competition conducted by the ministry of finance.
- “I don't have complete information behind the reasons of this change; probably, the state government has their own ways, views, and reasons to make the changes. I designed this 15 years ago when the Central government floated a competition, and I won it, after which they implemented it, and it's being widely used. I am really happy about being the designer of this symbol, but I never expected such a debate to ever occur,” Dharmalingam told news agency ANI amid the latest controversy.
- The winning design was selected from 3,300 entries submitted nationwide. The symbol is a fusion of the Devanagari letter "Ra" and the Roman letter "R", and has now become a significant part of India's currency and identity.
- The Indian rupee sign reflects Indian ethos, integrating the Devanagari "Ra" and the Roman "R" along with two horizontal stripes at the top, symbolising the national flag and the "equal to" sign. The Government of India officially adopted the rupee symbol on July 15, 2010.
Sitharaman slams DMK: ‘Why did not they protest in 2010?’
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed the DMK government in Tamil Nadu over the rupee symbol row, questioning why they did not oppose it back in 2010, when it was officially introduced under the Congress-led UPA government.
She pointed out that the DMK government has allegedly removed the official rupee symbol ('Rs') from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 documents, which are set to be presented on Friday.
“The DMK government has reportedly removed the official Rupee symbol 'Rs' from the Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 documents, which will be presented tomorrow. If the DMK has a problem with 'Rs', why didn't it protest back in 2010 when it was officially adopted under the INC led UPA government, at a time when the DMK was part of the ruling alliance at the Centre?” Sitharaman wrote on X.
She further said that by removing the rupee symbol, DMK was not just rejecting a national symbol but also dismissing the creative work of a Tamil youth.
“Ironically, 'Rs' was designed by Th. D Udaya Kumar, the son of former DMK MLA N. Dharmalingam. By erasing it now, the DMK is not only rejecting a national symbol but also utterly disregarding the creative contribution of a Tamil youth,” she said.
The finance minister further wrote, “Moreover, the Tamil word 'Rupaai' (ruupaay) itself has deep roots in the Sanskrit word 'Rupya,' meaning 'wrought silver' or 'a worked silver coin.' This term has resonated across centuries in Tamil trade and literature, and even today, 'Rupaai' remains the currency name in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.”
(With ANI, PTI inputs)
