The Indian Rupee Sign was designed by Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, an associate professor at the Department of Design; he holds a PhD in Design from IIT Bombay and is currently a professor at IIT Guwahati. His design was selected in 2010 after a national competition was held by the Indian government to create a symbol that would represent the Indian currency globally, similar to the US dollar, British pound, and euro. The introduction of this symbol was a significant step in giving India a unique identity in the international financial community. The design of the Indian rupee sign is a combination of Devanagari script and the Roman alphabet. The symbol is derived from the Devanagari letter (Ra), representing "Rupiya" in Indian languages, and also bears a strong resemblance to the Latin letter "R," which links it to the Roman script. This fusion of scripts reflects India’s linguistic diversity and bridges the country’s ancient heritage with its modern, global identity. The two parallel horizontal lines at the top of the symbol convey the stability of the Indian economy. This design of the Indian rupee sign has since become an iconic representation of India's modern financial system, blending its rich tradition with the aspirations of a rapidly growing economy.