A salute to the man who designed the Tricolour: Pingali Venkayya
With the 68th Independence day fast approaching let us pay homage to Pingali Venkayya, freedom fighter and designer of the National Flag on his birth anniversary .
KC Archana
New Delhi , August 2, 2015 | UPDATED 17:10 IST
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Pingali Venkayya, freedom fighter and designer of the Tricolour Photo: fullyindia.com
"A flag is a necessity for all nations. Millions have died for it. It
is no doubt a kind of idolatry which would be a sin to destroy. For, a
flag represents an Ideal The unfurling of the Union Jack evokes in the
English breast sentiments whose strength it is difficult to measure. The
Stars and Stripes mean a world to the Americans. The Star and the
Crescent will call forth the best bravery in Islam." -- Mahatma Gandhi
With the 68th Independence day fast approaching and as the Father of our Nation aptly articulated, scores of freedom fighters irrespective of their religious background, identify with the mighty tricolour, a symbol of our Nation's freedom from the imperial rule. Today is the birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya, the man who gave India its National Flag . He did a detailed study of flags of more than 30 countries before zeroing down to the present Tricolour.
Here are six lesser known facts about Pingali Venkayya:
His origins
Freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya was born in Bhatlapenumarru near Masulipatnam district, Andhra Pradesh (1876-1963). He joined the British Army with a patriotic zeal in the age of 19 and took part in the Anglo- Boer war in Africa. It was here that he met Gandhi and the rapport lasted for more than 50 years.
The conception of the The Tricolour
In the Indian National Congress conference held in Kakinada on March 31, 1921 Venkayya first conceived the idea of a National Flag. The version which he presented was a saffron and green flag . It was approved by Mahatma Gandhi with a few modifications in the year 1947. While Lala Hansraj added the Dharm Chakra( wheel of law) to it, Gandhi requested a white stripe.
The present flag was adopted during the meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on July 22, 1947, just a few days short of India's independence.
Versatility ingrained in his nature
Pingali Venkayya was also popularly nicknamed 'Diamond Venkayya', as he was an expert in diamond mining. He was also called 'Patti Venkayya' (Cotton Venkayya) , because he dedicated most of his time researching staple varieties of cotton and did a detailed study on a variety called Cambodia Cotton.
A Polyglot:
Pingali Venkayya was also proficient in many languages including Urdu and Japanese.
An educationist
Venkayya held a doctorate in Geology , he also set up an educational institution in his hometown Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The irony lies in the fact that there is not a single memorial in his honour in Machilipatnam, his hometown.
Humble till the end:
The Gandhian lived in poverty his entire life and breathed his last in a hut in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.In the year 2009 a postage stamp was issued to honour his contributions for the freedom struggle.
This year in the month of January , a statue of Venkayya was unveiled by the Urban Development Minister M. Venkaish Naidu, in the forelawns of the AIR ( All India Radio) building Vijayawada
With the 68th Independence day fast approaching and as the Father of our Nation aptly articulated, scores of freedom fighters irrespective of their religious background, identify with the mighty tricolour, a symbol of our Nation's freedom from the imperial rule. Today is the birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya, the man who gave India its National Flag . He did a detailed study of flags of more than 30 countries before zeroing down to the present Tricolour.
Here are six lesser known facts about Pingali Venkayya:
His origins
Freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya was born in Bhatlapenumarru near Masulipatnam district, Andhra Pradesh (1876-1963). He joined the British Army with a patriotic zeal in the age of 19 and took part in the Anglo- Boer war in Africa. It was here that he met Gandhi and the rapport lasted for more than 50 years.
The conception of the The Tricolour
In the Indian National Congress conference held in Kakinada on March 31, 1921 Venkayya first conceived the idea of a National Flag. The version which he presented was a saffron and green flag . It was approved by Mahatma Gandhi with a few modifications in the year 1947. While Lala Hansraj added the Dharm Chakra( wheel of law) to it, Gandhi requested a white stripe.
The present flag was adopted during the meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on July 22, 1947, just a few days short of India's independence.
Versatility ingrained in his nature
Pingali Venkayya was also popularly nicknamed 'Diamond Venkayya', as he was an expert in diamond mining. He was also called 'Patti Venkayya' (Cotton Venkayya) , because he dedicated most of his time researching staple varieties of cotton and did a detailed study on a variety called Cambodia Cotton.
A Polyglot:
Pingali Venkayya was also proficient in many languages including Urdu and Japanese.
An educationist
Venkayya held a doctorate in Geology , he also set up an educational institution in his hometown Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The irony lies in the fact that there is not a single memorial in his honour in Machilipatnam, his hometown.
Humble till the end:
The Gandhian lived in poverty his entire life and breathed his last in a hut in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.In the year 2009 a postage stamp was issued to honour his contributions for the freedom struggle.
This year in the month of January , a statue of Venkayya was unveiled by the Urban Development Minister M. Venkaish Naidu, in the forelawns of the AIR ( All India Radio) building Vijayawada
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