Few things in India unite all of us.

The smell of chai on a rainy day. The excitement of finding money in an old pair of jeans. And that tiny symbol we see every single day — ₹.

It appears on salary slips, grocery bills, shopping apps, train tickets, and bank statements. We use it so often that we rarely stop to think about it.

Yet, just 15 years ago, the Indian rupee had no symbol of its own.

The journey to changing that began with a designer from Tamil Nadu, whose winning design would go on to represent India's identity, aspirations, and economy on the global stage.

Before the ‘₹’, there was only 'Rs'

For much of independent India's history, the rupee was represented by abbreviations like 'Rs' or 'Re'. While iconic currency symbols such as the dollar ($), pound (£), euro (€), and yen (¥) were instantly recognisable across the world, India lacked a visual identity for its own currency.

As India's economy grew and its global presence expanded, the........

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