New Delhi: Pingali Venkayya is among the many lesser-known names from the Indian freedom struggle, but it is a name that we all should remember. The Tricolour that we see today, the flag that makes us proud as Indians anywhere on this planet, was designed by this man. Today is his birth anniversary, and on this occasion, we look at this legendary person’s life and works.
What did he do before designing the National Flag?
Born on August 2, 1876, in Andhra Pradesh, Pingali Venkayya joined the British Indian Army when he was just 19 years old. His first assignment was in South Africa during the Second Boer War which lasted from 1899 to 1902. In South Africa, he met Mahatma Gandhi for the first time. Another remarkable incident happened during his stay in that country: He noticed that the soldiers had to salute the Union Jack, Britain’s national flag, and it was then that Venkayya realised the need for a flag solely for the Indians.
The design of the National Flag
In 1906, during the Congress session in 1906 in Kolkata led by Dadabhai Naoroji, Venkayya was inspired to design a flag for the Congress as till then, the British flag was hoisted at its meetings. He came up with several potential designs of the flag that were aimed to signify independence. He created around 25 drafts of the flag with each showcasing India’s culture, history and heritage.
In 1921, during a Congress session in Vijayawada, Gandhi asked Venkayya to submit a design for the flag at the session and it took him just three hours to do it. Initially, Venkayya created the flag with saffron and green colours, but it later changed with a spinning wheel at the centre and a third colour, white. In 1931, the Congress officially adopted the flag and the Tricolour was adopted in its present form on July 22, 1947, during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly.
Venkayya was also an expert in diamond mining for which he was known as ‘Diamond Venkayya’. He did extensive research on cotton’s staple varieties and was a polyglot. Once, he delivered a full-length speech in Japanese at a school in 1913 which earned him the nickname ‘Japan Venkayya’.
Initially, Venkayya created the flag with saffron and green colours, but it later underwent change with a spinning wheel at the centre and a third colour, white. The Tricolour was adopted in its present form on July 22, 1947. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
