The Indian currency, the rupee, till recently depicted as Rs., now has a symbol.

Last month the Indian Union Cabinet approved the symbol ‘ ` ’ that was designed by IIT‐ian D Udaya Kumar. With the approval of the symbol, the Indian rupee becomes the fifth nation to join the elite club of distinct currency symbols after the US dollar, British pound‐sterling, Euro and Japanese yen.

The symbol is said to have been designed to represent the Indian flag as well as blend the Indian and Roman letters: a capital 'R', and Devanagari 'ra', which represent rupiya. Needless to say most Indians have welcomed this development, believing the timing to be well in sync with Indian’s increasing economic significance.

While the Cabinet indicated that it would take roughly a year for the symbol to be incorporated on currency notes and coins, Mangalore‐based Foradian Technologies Pvt Ltd released the Rupee Farodian font, within 24 hours of the official
announcement, making it possible for Indians all over to download and start using the symbol immediately. TVS has also launched a new keyboard incorporating the symbol.

With Indians proudly sporting the symbol at every opportunity, it won’t be long before the international community also starts using it.