The Tamil Nadu government recently replaced the standard Indian rupee symbol (₹) with the Tamil letter “ரூ” (pronounced ‘Ru’) in its 2025-26 budget logo. This move has sparked a political debate, especially considering that the original rupee symbol was designed by D Udaya Kumar, a Tamilian and professor at IIT Guwahati.
In response to the controversy, Professor Udaya Kumar expressed surprise at the debate, stating, “I am really happy about being the designer of this symbol, but I never expected such a debate to ever occur.” He further mentioned that he doesn’t have complete information regarding the reasons behind the state’s decision and acknowledged that the government might have its own perspectives and reasons for the change.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticized the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government’s decision, highlighting the irony that the rupee symbol, designed by a Tamilian, is now being replaced. She accused the state government of promoting regional chauvinism and secessionist sentiments under the guise of regional pride.
The DMK defended its decision, stating that there was nothing wrong in using the native language and emphasizing their stance against the imposition of the Devanagari script. They argue that the move aligns with their policy of promoting Tamil and English over the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy.
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Professor Udaya Kumar, while distancing himself from the political aspects of the issue, noted that his father’s past political affiliations were merely coincidental and unrelated to the current debate.
