The Indian Rupee symbol is out (as in its in). It’s perhaps the sign of a new era of the great Indian growth story. Maybe it isn’t. Or maybe it’s a sign of all the struggles, successes and contradictions that make this nation. Maybe its just a brazen attempt to get world publicity.
From a design angle it seems to be a winner. It looks fine and is easy to use. Perhaps it could have been more beautiful, but how difficult would it have been to inscribe the symbol in our daily use if it were so. Hence it wouldn't be wrong to say that it has found the right balance between looks and practicality. A sure shot winner of 'beauty with brains' pageant.
The symbol is more than just a combination of lucidity and charm. It is a combination of the Devangri script ra and the Roman R. Sign of the confluence of traditionalism and modernity, culture and urbanity, nationalism and internationalism. In other words, a sign of what independent India has come to mean, especially in the post-liberalisation era. Or so we believe.
Also we have the tricolour mounted on the top, flying high in the form of the two lines. The white portion in the middle (white?) is supposed to stand for the white of the flag with the bulge of the R/ra in its middle symbolizing the Ashoka Chakra. We have to imagine that the two lines are in the hue of saffron and orange, just to keep the Hindus and Muslims happy. An arithmetician would see the flag as the equals to sign, while the egalitarian living in him would see it as a sign of equality.
Beyond an analysis of the symbol, India joining the elite superpower club of Americans, Europeans, Japanese and Britons as the uninvited 5th member might symbolize something more. The uninvited brown entrant wants to end the exclusive party of the whites (and a yellow). The Rupee has entered the elite club and wants everyone, those in the club and outside it, to recognize her within one-and-a-half years, or else….
The adoption of a Rupee symbol seems not to be merely for the practical purpose of affixing a symbolic designation. In a more political and philosophical vein, it symbolizes the aspiration of a developing nation to challenge the existing world hegemony. It can stand to represent India’s desire to be recognized and a desire to alter the balance of power. Or at least, an attempt to make India’s soft power not limited to the mostly excruciating Bollywood movies.
But can the Rupee symbol emerge to be the sign of the awaiting superpowerdom that the nation believes itself to posses? Or have we got our aspirations wrong? Does the desire to be an economic magnate run contrary to the foundations of this nation? India’s freedom movement represented more than her desire to be an independent nation-state. It was an effort to break away from the burdens of the past, from the clutches of imperialism and for realization of her many dreams.
Freedom hence was a means to an end, the end being raising of the people to a level which gives every Indian the opportunity to develop himself to his fullest capacity. The rise of India should then mean the rise of Indians, if this does not happen, it is no rise at all. While “India” has developed at a fast rate in the recent past, can we say that “Indians” have developed in the same manner? The answer is sadly in the negative. Hence there must be every effort to translate India’s advancement to be the advancement Indians. And if at all the Rupee Symbol symbolizes anything, it must symbolize the reemergence of a nation whose people posses the capacity to lead a life in all its fullness.
No comments:
Post a Comment