India is searching for its next big announcement: the symbol for the rupee.  Today there is no $ or € in India leaving everything for sale with a number or a full sentence of “250 rupees”.  At times RS is used.  As India hopes its currency will gains importance in the world it seeks a shorthand symbol.

About 25,000 people submitted design suggestions and the government expects to decide and implement this new symbol next year.  There were 5 designs selected as finalists…but it seems now these designs have been passed over and there is an uproar on the process as a whole with charges of mismanagement.

In any event, I am sharing the finalist’s designs.  The complexity and creativity of this process illustrate the stuggles India is undergoing to emerge as a global player.  (picture: trak.in)

UPDATE:  And…right after I publish this the new symbol is announced – litteraly 32 minutes ago.  Here is the final selection:

The goal of the symbol is to combine the Devanagari ‘र’ and the Roman capital ‘R’ without the stem to represent the ethos of India: combining its traditions with those of the world.