The Destiny of the Rupee
“See, this country, in its days of greatness, when it was the richest nation on earth, was like a zoo. A clean, well-kept, orderly zoo. Everyone in his place, everyone happy. Goldsmiths here. Cowherds here. Landlords there. The man a called Halwai made sweets. The man called a cowherd tended cows. The untouchable cleaned faeces…
… in the old days there were one thousand castes and destinies in India. These days, there are just two castes: Men with Big Bellies, and Men with Small Bellies.”
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.
Indian school via Mad Decent.
India, to the best of my limited knowledge, is a country built on codes and glimmering with symbols – however prismatic.
Soon there will be a new symbol. And it’s already caused some division.
The Indian government has launched a public competition to design a currency symbol for the Rupee. Entrants must be Indian nationals and are required to supply a bank draft of Rs 500 with their applications by 15 April 2009.
From what I’ve read, Indian designers are peeved they have to pay the government to participate. But there’s already spec work up on ‘the internet’.
Indian Rupee spec design by Christian Büning; Design of the Euro.
Erik Spiekermann, founder of FontShop, is “afraid their brief is a little off”. Check out the discussions at Fontblog (in German) and TypeOff.
All the hubbub set me off on a dig. Beyond the obvious (£ Pound/ $ Dollar/ € Euro/ ¥ Yen), I had no idea which currencies bear their own symbol.
Do you?
Here are a few you might not have known:
Left to right:
Yuan Renminbi (China), Colón (Costa Rica), Rial (Iran), New Sheqel (Israel), Won (South Korea), Naira (Nigeria), Baht (Thailand).
So apart from China, none of the BRIC economies have their own currency symbol. Although Russia’s been searching since 1999.
The majority of nations in South America and the Caribbean bear the $ symbol.
What does any of this mean? Will a new symbol for the Rupee help transform India’s destiny into that of a “nation with Big Bellies”?
And should designers be paying for their crowdsourced work to compete?
Currency symbols elsewhere:
- World Currency Symbols index.
- The story of the Euro Symbol: From Logo to Letter.
- Bankface? Remixing bank notes.
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Here is our entry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vgc_1997/3561766427/in/set-72157618764438658/
Here’s my take :
http://ojasvimohanty.blogspot.com/2009/05/symbol-for-rupee.html
http://finmin.nic.in/the_ministry/dept_eco_affairs/infrastructure_div/message_symbol_final.htm
LIST OF FIVE ENTRIES WHICH HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR FINAL SELECTION FOR THE SYMBOL FOR INDIAN RUPEE
S.No. Name Address
1 Shri Hitesh Padmashali JWT, PeninsulaChambers, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel,
Mumbai – 400 013.
2 Shri Shahrukh J. Irani No.9/8, Rustom Baug,
Sant Savta Marg,
Byculla (E),
Mumbai – 400 027
3 Shri D. Udaya Kumar Industrial Design Centre,
Indian Institute of Technology
Bombay Powai, Mumbai – 400 076
4 Ms. Nondita Correa-Mehrotra 2-A, Connaught Mansion,
173 Wodehouse Road,
Mumbai – 400 005
5 Shri Shibin K.K. ‘Aiswarya’ Post – Koorara,
Thalassery, Kannur District,
Kerala – 670694
http://hindi.economictimes.indiatimes.com/rssarticleshow/4944416.cms
——–I had written to the RBI in 2005 saying we should have a symbol for the rupee,†said Nondita Correa-Mehrotra , one of the finalists, more marvelling at the coincidence of it all than implying it may have influenced the government.
Correa-Mehtorta is a Harvard University-trained architect and works at her father’s firm—Mumbai-based Charles Correa Associates. The final list pits two leading advertising agencies against each other for the big honour—JWT and Publicis Ambience.
Hitesh Padamshali is a creative director, design, at JWT’s Mumbai office, while Shahrukh J Irani is a creative director at Publicis Ambience. The list also has a typography scholar in D. Udaya Kumar, a PhD candidate at IIT Mumbai’s Industrial Design Centre. He is preparing to defend his dissertation—Transformation of Tamil letter forms from palm leaf manuscripts to early letter press printing—early next year.
Shibin KK, a computer science teacher at a government higher secondary school near Thalasserry, Kerala, is the fifth finalist, and an outsider of sorts with no formal training in drawing or design. However, he takes up freelance design work.
For the five finalists, it’s a agonising wait till the symbol is unveiled.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/forex/Contest-to-finalise-Rupee-symbol-down-to-final-five/articleshow/5350545.cms
Information under RTI Act, 2005
Given by Shr Sushil Kumar, Under Secretary to the Govt. of India & CPIO—–F.No. 3/40/09-Cy Dated 7th January, 2010
Que. 1 Name, Professian & Home State of all the member of jury
Ans.
(i) Smt. Usha Thorat, Deputy Governor, RBI, Mumbai-Chairman.
(ii) Shri K.V. Eapen, Joint Secretary, Deptt. of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi.
(iii) Ms. T. Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, New Delhi.
(iv) Smt. Aditi Mehta, Joint Secretary, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi.
(v)Shri Anil Sinha, Chairperson, Integrated Desgin Services and Industry Programmes & Projects, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
(vi) Professor Hemant Nagdive, Director, JJ School of Arts, Mumbai.
(vii) Shri Bazil Shaikh, Chief General Manager, RBI, Mumbai.
Que. 2-How meny desins received in hindi/English & other languages out of eligible 2644 designs.
Ans -The Designs do not have any Language, it is the shape (Drawing) only.
Que. 3-How meny meetings when , where & each date of meeting, time taken for the meeting & average time of applicant design taken reg. Totat entries of evaluation ?
Ans. Meetings of Jury were held on 29/30 September, 2009 in Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi and on 16th November, 2009 in Reserve Bank of India, New Delhi for evaluation of entries. The meetings on 29th and 30th September were from 10.00AM to 5.00PM and the meeting meeting on 16th November was from 2-00 PM to 5.00PM
Que. 4- Total received deigns and total of rejects deigns?
Ans. There are 3331 eligible entries out of which five final entries were selected by the jury.
Que. 7- The script of applicant which in Hindi language be translate in other language presents before jury.
Ans. Only symbol of the applicant was presented to the Jury for selection.
Que. 10- Explain briefly the rule (hindi-MANAK) of as widely accepting across the INDIA.
Ans. The criteria adopted by the Jury in selecting the symbol was that the symbol should represent the historical and cultural ethos of the country as widely accepted across the Country and that the symbol has to be in the Indian National Language script or a visual representation. The second stage of selection focused on finer details such as whether the symbol
(i) is distinct;
(ii)can evoke a ready recall in India as well as internationally;
(iii) is not unduly cluttered, i.e. simplicity;
(iv) has strength of design;
(v) is easy to write and typecast; and
(vi) has integrity, unity of form and compact look
Que. 11-The Biodata of eligible design put-up before jury or Coding Procedure in applied?
Ans. Coding procedure was adopted.
1)Smt. Usha Thorat, Deputy Governor, RBI, Mumbai-Chairman
and she found four entries from mumbai.
2)Shri K.V. Eapen, Joint Secretary, Deptt. of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi.
He is from kozhikode,kerala and he discover Mr.kk shibin,
from kozhikode,kerala.
Rest of Indians are duffer because they have no Godfather.
Wake up SIDS and join hands against this unfair justice with us.Make a joint RTI and recheck your exams by CBI or CAG.