Image Courtesy: bufferedreader

The Indian Rupee might be struggling against the dollar today, but it certainly has a rich history and heritage.  The integral part of India’s currency is its symbol. The Rupee symbol itself is an reflection of its origin and history. Udaya Kumar is the designer of the Indian Rupee, a design which has won plaudits across Indian and recognized across the world. Despite his successful design, Udaya Kumar still pursues his dream of teaching.

Dharmalingam Udaya Kumar, the man behind the Indian Rupee Sign, lives his life pursuing his job as Assistant Teacher at IIT-Guwahati . Udaya made his way to the headlines, when he was shortlisted as one of the top five contestants of a nationwide competition for designing a sign to replace the erstwhile “Rs”. Udayakumar’s sign was later accepted and acknowledged by the Ministry of Finance and Department of Economic Affairs of the Government of India.

Udaya’s symbol officially replaced the former “Rs”.  The new symbol is now a universally recognized symbol of the Indian Rupee.Udaya Kumar deservedly has received accolades from all over the world for its unique design which has incorporated both Devangiri script and the Roman script.Despite the overwhelming accolades he has received for his design, Udaya Kumar has no intention to change his chosen career path and passion i.e teaching. Hardly do we ever come across a person whose beliefs and aims remain untouched by a such a plethora of appreciation; Udaya Kumar is one such person.

Born in Kallakurichi and brought up in Chennai, Udaya Kumar is the son of DMK MLA- N Dharmalingam . He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Anna University,Chennai in 2001 ;after which he went on to receive his master’s degree in Visual Communication and PhD both from the Industrial Design Centre of Bombay. He is currently an Assistant Professor at IIT Guwahati.

The Logical Indian would like convey its sincere appreciation towards Mr Udaya Kumar’s commendable efforts in making the new symbol and we wish him all the good luck for his future.

-Charulika Kohli