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India gets new currency symbol. Whole of India is excited about it and so am I. Now waiting for type face designers to include the symbol in my favorite fonts.

Government of India approved a currency symbol design contest last year. And the year-long competition came to an end and the winner is an IIT’ian. He designed a symbol which is described as “combination of the Devanagiri letter ‘Ra’ and the Roman letter ‘R’”; both first letter of the Indian currency name “Rupee”.

Indian Rupee Symbol (curtsey Wikipedia)

Many people around the world still think that India, along with the neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh share the same currency. So this move is going to make Indian Rupee distinctive. Media welcomed the symbol as it shows off the strength of the up coming currency.

But I see some problems with its design!

Have you tried using this symbol? Not yet? Pick a pen and try it yourself right now before you read further.

Well, how does it look? Just look at your best attempt. And now try writing Dollar, Pound Sterling and Euro symbols and see. I don’t expect you to be a freehand drawing expert; but as a common man, what do you think? Can you see a difference? What’s the problem?

Besides proportion requirements, this symbol needs those “calligraphy edges” for that finished look. Its elegance depends a lot on those beveled edges and that is quite unfortunate. To create those edges, you need thick lines. That is the problem here: this symbol won’t look as good in thin lines line (i.e. while writing with regular pen or in regular font set)! This symbol needs to be bold face–always.

Compare this with other currency symbols we know. What is it missing? Here is my list:

1. A good shape that is tolerant to imperfection while writing.
2. A good shape that would look good irrespective of the thickness of the line it is drawn with.
3. A good shape that has a fairly good degree of symmetry. A symmetric symbol has lot of flexibility and possibilities while designing type faces. And easy to draw too.

The symbol started appearing in news papers and other print media already. People try experimenting with it now in headlines and advertisements where they can use a bold type face. Now my mind is getting conditioned to it though I am yet to see it in body texts.

I wish someone could come up with a one-pixel version of the symbol so that it can used in body texts. Also a variant for writing by hand.

Ever since I saw a trainer aircraft flying at Sankhumukham during my childhood I fancied myself flying aircrafts; not as a career but as a hobby. I never got a chance to make an attempt due to lack of opportunity. The main problem was the commitment one needs to take to put the hands on. The money involved is significant and time demanded is impractical for a working person.

My pursuit was mostly limited to collecting training materials and articles and discussions with a few friends who share same interest until I ran across Mysore Aerosports (and then Bangalore Aerosports, Bangalore).

I found them on the web and came to know about an amazing programme they offer called Trial Instructional Flight on an X-Air Microlight. This programme allows to fly an aircraft in a short in-the-air training session of one hour. There is no commitments. No need to enroll for student pilot license. No nothing.

A few things about Microlight aircrafts: Microlight Aircrafts (or simply microlights or ultralights) are two-seater aircrafts with less than 450Kg of gross weight and a maximum level speed of less than 220Kmph. To start flying and for hobby flying microlight aircraft is a better alternative to conventional trainer aircrafts (such as single-engine Cessna). A microlight is more basic (and less complex) in construction, for flying and maintenance but, at the same time, as safe as any other comparable single engine-aircrafts. All these at a much lower cost–cheaper to own, maintain and operate. Microlights are more sensitive and demand more pilot inputs. This is not an aircraft for those who want to put their aircraft in autopilot and relax.

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Me and my friend Raj decided to try this out at the next immediate weekend convenient to both of us. So we called up Bangalore Aerosports and got our slot reserved on 31st October at 7:30 early morning.
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It is simple as a safety pin! Minimal controls and weighs around 250kg only. It must be fun to ride (if you master it).

Bangalore Aerosports operates from the Jakkur Aerodrom, Bangalore. There is a small runway and took my first flight with Wg. Cmdr. Ashok Mehta. He explained me the basics before the flight.

Flying in a microlight is way far different from flying in a regular passenger aircraft (like A320) in which you are not exposed to any realities of the medium of air. Also the massive structure of passenger aircrafts easily take turbulence of the air and we seldom notice the severity. But in the case of a microlight, it is of the size of an auto riksha! A small inconsistency in the air would result in vigorous shakes and it is real scary for the first timer. But, normally, one would get accustomed with that in a few minutes.

It was interesting to learn that the air (or the atmosphere to be more precise) has more dynamics than we notice that seldom affect our lives on the ground but have significant influence on flying objects. There is a lot to learn and get acquainted to to become a good pilot besides learning to control an aircraft.

We really enjoyed this flying though I am not sure whether I would go all the way and obtain a PPL(M) myself. But surely I will be back there soon for more flying.
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Ultralight aviation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultralight_aviation
Bangalore Aerosports: http://www.bangaloreaerosports.com/
Jakkur Airfield: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakkur_Airfield