Who Designed The Rupee Symbol? Meet The Tamilian Behind India’s Currency Logo!

Tamil Nadu’s government has ignited a major political row by replacing the Indian rupee symbol (₹) with a Tamil alphabet ‘Ru’ in the official Budget 2025-26 logo. Chief Minister MK Stalin unveiled the new design on Thursday, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition, particularly the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which labeled it “condemnable and laughable.”

The controversy has taken an ironic turn, as the now-dropped rupee symbol was originally designed by a Tamilian, D Udaya Kumar.

Who is D Udaya Kumar?

D Udaya Kumar, a professor at IIT Guwahati, created the Indian rupee symbol in 2010 under the Manmohan Singh government. His father, N Dharmalingam, was a former DMK MLA from Rishivandiyam in Tamil Nadu.

His design was chosen from over 3,000 entries and earned him a cash award of ₹2.5 lakh. The rupee symbol is a fusion of the Latin letter ‘R’ and the Devanagari ‘Ra’, representing “rupaiah.” The two horizontal stripes at the top symbolize the Indian flag and the “equal to” sign.

The Indian government officially adopted the rupee symbol on July 15, 2010.

A Designer’s Perspective

Despite the controversy, Mr. Kumar remains unfazed. Speaking to NDTV, he said he was proud of his work and did not feel disrespected by the Tamil Nadu government’s decision.

“Not all designs are universally appreciated. Criticism is part of the creative journey, and I take it positively,” he stated.

Political Reactions

The BJP has accused the DMK government of pushing its language politics by sidelining a national symbol. Meanwhile, Stalin’s government has defended the decision, claiming it aligns with Tamil linguistic pride.

With political tensions rising over language and cultural identity, the debate over Tamil Nadu’s budget logo change is far from over.

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