Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has sparked a debate by questioning the presence of the US dollar sign on keyboards of laptops and computers sold in India, suggesting it should be replaced with the rupee sign. His viral post has garnered over 1.4 million views and divided the internet. In an X post, Aggarwal shared an image of a keyboard with the dollar sign highlighted.
“Why do people, especially in the financial world, still use INR instead of a rupee sign?” he asked. “Maybe this has something to do with it! Wonder why the US dollar sign is not replaced with the rupee sign in products sold in India.”
The reaction to his post has been mixed. Some social media users argued against Aggarwal’s suggestion, emphasizing practical reasons for retaining the dollar sign.
One user commented, “Patriotism and jingoism have very small gaps.
Rupee sign on Indian keyboards
You are crossing that.
Don’t know whether you are doing it intentionally or unintentionally.” Another user pointed out, “The ‘US dollar sign’ is also an important character in programming languages, such as Perl.”
Other users mentioned technical reasons related to software usage, such as Microsoft Excel, where the dollar sign is used to freeze rows or columns in formulas. However, many users supported Aggarwal’s point of view. “Global products default to the US dollar sign, but it’s time to prioritize the rupee sign, especially for Indian users,” one user wrote.
Another added, “The dominance of the US dollar symbol in global products has its reasons, but it doesn’t mean the rupee sign should take a backseat in India.”
Below are some of the comments from supporters:
“The rupee sign isn’t just about currency; it’s about asserting our identity and ensuring that our products reflect the pride we have in our own economy. It’s time we made this shift and lead by example.”
“Let’s make the rupee sign our standard.”
Aggarwal’s post has definitely sparked a broader conversation about balancing national pride and practicality in a globalized world. For now, it seems the US dollar sign is here to stay, at least on our keyboards.
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