Pingali Venkayya

In this Telugu name, the surname is Pingali.

Pingali Venkayya
Venkayya on a 2009 stamp of India
Born2 August 1876/8
Bhatlapenumarru, Madras Presidency, British India (now in Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died4 July 1963 (aged 84 or 86)
India
Other namesDiamond Venkayya
Patti Venkayya
Known forDesign of Indian National Flag
SpouseRukminamma

Pingali Venkayya (2 August 1876/8[1][2] – 4 July 1963) was an Indian freedom fighter, known for designing the initial version of the Indian National Flag.[3] Apart from his role in the independence movement, Venkayya was a lecturer, author, geologist, educationalist, agriculturist, and a polyglot.[4][5]

Venkayya joined the British Indian Army at age 19 and served in South Africa during the Second Boer War (1899–1902). During his service, he recognized the need for a national flag for India as Indian soldiers were required to salute the Union Jack, the British flag.[6] Inspired by his experience and later by attending the 1906 AICC session in Calcutta, he developed a vision for a flag representing Indians, opposing the practice of hoisting the British flag at Congress meetings.[2]

Venkayya presented his design for an Indian national flag to Mahatma Gandhi in 1921 during Gandhi's visit to Vijayawada.[7][8][9] The flag initially consisted of red and green stripes representing Hindus and Muslims, respectively, and, on Gandhi's suggestion, a white stripe was added to represent other communities in India.[6] This flag design was used informally at Congress meetings from 1921 and served as the foundation for the Indian national flag, which was officially adopted in its final form by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947.[2][6][7]

Venkayya was an agriculturist, as well as an educationist who set up an educational institution in Machilipatnam. Despite his contributions, he died in poverty in 1963 and remained largely unrecognized in his later years.[4][6] In 2009, the Indian government issued a postage stamp in his honour, and in 2012, his name was recommended for a posthumous Bharat Ratna, though no formal response was received from the central government.[2][6]

  1. ^ "Who is Pingali Venkayya? Remembering the architect of India's national flag". India Today. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Pingali Venkayya, the man behind Tricolour, struggled to make ends meet and died penniless in 1963". The Economic Times. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  3. ^ Dasgupta, Reshmi (9 August 2022). "Who designed the National Flag: Nehru's friend or Gandhi's follower?". Firstpost. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b Mellymaitreyi, M. L. (18 November 2012). "State recommends Bharat Ratna for Pingali Venkayya". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c d e "Pingali Venkayya — the man behind the Indian Tricolour". CNBCTV18. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b Akbar, Syed (31 March 2021). "On this day, 100 years ago, first draft design of national flag was presented". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Andhra Chief Minister Seeks Bharat Ratna Award For Designer Of Indian Flag". NDTV.com. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  9. ^ Chronicle, Deccan (15 August 2019). "Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's visits to Vijayawada recalled". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 10 August 2022.