Uday Kumar's name became part of Indian history, when his dynamic design for the symbol for the Rupee was approved by the Finance Minister as India's official currency sign.
An overwhelmed Kumar, who first learnt about the ministry's decision from The Indian Express, said, "My symbol is an amalgamation of several ideas -- it signifies the Devnagri script, which is the only script in the world which hangs from top. The central line, cutting through the 'R', subtly standardises it with other world currencies like the $, £ and Euro. Its top and bottom line together form an equal to (=) sign, denoting our belief in equality and together it also gives an appearance of the tricolour.
An overwhelmed Kumar, who first learnt about the ministry's decision from The Indian Express, said, "My symbol is an amalgamation of several ideas -- it signifies the Devnagri script, which is the only script in the world which hangs from top. The central line, cutting through the 'R', subtly standardises it with other world currencies like the $, £ and Euro. Its top and bottom line together form an equal to (=) sign, denoting our belief in equality and together it also gives an appearance of the tricolour.
I tried to balance Indianness and international mood in the symbol." In between a slew of media interviews, the post-graduate rued that he hadn't found enough time to even talk to his parents ever since the selection. "They live in Chennai and are waiting for me to call but I haven't been free for a moment since the news broke," he said.
The Industrial Design Centre is not the most popular department of IIT and offers Masters degrees only from Kanpur, Guwahati and Mumbai. In 2005, the faculty began its first PhD course in Mumbai. Kumar, the centre's first Phd student, took up an unusual thesis to work on -- Tamil typography.
"Being a Ta milian, I realised early in life that India's regional typography is almost non-existent. The seemingly trivial concept of typography has a great significance in the modern age where scripts, fonts are required to develop a language for computers, mobile phones, etc. This is why every written language needs a typography. I have just set out on a long journey to design Ta mil typography and hopefully, several others will follow," Kumar said, adding his aim is to give the country a well developed typography of all local languages.
This unusual ambition, however, has its difficulties.
"To start with, my mother wanted me to be a doctor and my father, an IAS officer. But my teachers encouraged me to choose a career in design. In 2001, I entered the Anna University school of Architecture & Planning where I saw a horde of choices. I picked graphic designing," he said.
"To start with, my mother wanted me to be a doctor and my father, an IAS officer. But my teachers encouraged me to choose a career in design. In 2001, I entered the Anna University school of Architecture & Planning where I saw a horde of choices. I picked graphic designing," he said.
Kumar, who also designs jewellery for his friends, said, "Now, my work seems pretty much clear to me. I have to develop typography as well as encourage newer people to research in the field." Soon, he will take another step in that direction when he joins IITGuwahati as an assistant professor of Visual Designs.
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