Lagatar24 Desk
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to replace the national rupee (₹) symbol with the Tamil letter “Ru” in promotional material for the state budget has triggered a political storm. The move, which the BJP has strongly opposed, was met with a measured response from the symbol’s original designer, D Udaya Kumar.
Designer Udaya Kumar Reacts to Rupee Symbol Row
D Udaya Kumar, who designed the ₹ symbol in 2009, refused to see the decision as an insult to his work and said a designer must always be prepared for such situations.
• “Not all our designs are successful or appreciated. You may also face criticism. As a designer, you always take them positively, learn from them, and move on. I do not see this (move) as disrespectful or a disregard of my work,” Kumar told NDTV.
• Kumar, who has a PhD in design from IIT Bombay, explained that his rupee symbol blended Devanagari ‘Ra’ and Roman ‘R’ to ensure a universal yet culturally rooted identity.
• “I was focused on making the rupee symbol simple, impactful, and meaningful. I never imagined it would lead to such controversy today,” he added.
BJP Slams DMK Over Rupee Symbol Change
The row escalated when Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai lashed out at the DMK, calling the move “stupid” and pointing out that the original ₹ symbol was designed by a Tamilian, who is also the son of a former DMK MLA.
• “The DMK is trying to erase a national symbol designed by a Tamilian. This is an attempt to widen the Centre-State language war,” Annamalai said.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also criticized the move, calling it a “promotion of secessionist sentiments under the pretense of regional pride.”
DMK Defends Its Decision
• The DMK denied any opposition to the national rupee symbol, saying its intent was to promote the Tamil languagerather than reject the national identity.
• “We are proud of the rupee symbol, but Tamil Nadu also has the right to showcase its heritage in its state budget,” a party spokesperson stated.
The Larger Political Context
The controversy comes amid a wider battle between Tamil Nadu and the BJP-led Centre over the National Education Policy (NEP), which the DMK sees as an attempt to impose Hindi in the state.
With Tamil Nadu’s strong linguistic and cultural identity, the rupee symbol change has become yet another flashpoint in the Centre-State tussle over language and national representation.
