Saluting Pingali Venkayya - The Designer of Indian National Flag

 Saluting Pingali Venkayya - 
The Designer of Indian National Flag

It is surprising that many of us may not be knowing the person who designed the National Flag.  We are not aware of our freedom fighters. We are not aware of  the places where people sacrificed their lives for the country. We are least interested in freedom fighters, freedom struggle . We are hardly aware of the brave jawans, that too in the age of electronic media and social media, who are daily sacrificing their lives for the country.

We are more interested in reel heroes than real heroes. We are doing politics on " National Anthem" and " National Song". We are making issues on singing "Vande Matram" which had been mantra for the freedom fighters. For some, religion is above nation. This is really shameful and disgraceful. Such persons should be identified and ostracized from society.

Image Courtesy:indiasamvad.co.in

Most of the Indians may not be knowing Pingali Venkayya. He is a freedom fighter  who refused to salute Union Jack. He first conceived the idea of a National Flag in the Indian National Conference Conference held on 31st March 1921. The version which he presented was a saffron and green flag.

The flag was approved by Mahatma Gandhi with few modifications in the year 1947. Gandhi Jee requested a white stripe while Lala  Hansraj added the Dharm Chakra (wheel of law). The present Flag was adopted during the meeting of Constituent Assembly held on 22nd July 1947.

Pingali Venkayya was popularly called 'Diamond Venkayya' as he was expert in diamond mining. He was also known as 'Patti Venkayya' because he dedicated most of his time researching staple varieties of cotton. A polyglot Venkayya held a doctorate degree in Geology and set up an educational institution in his hometown Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

It is irony that this Gandhian, the Flagman of India lived in poverty and breathed his last in a hut in Vijayawada.

Let us salute the man on the eve of 71st Independence Day who designed the Tricolour.