150th Birth Anniversary of Pingali Venkayya:
The Prime Minister paid tributes to Pingali Venkayya on his 150th birth anniversary (2nd August), commemorating his invaluable contribution as the designer of India’s National Flag (Tiranga) and highlighting its enduring role in inspiring patriotism and nation-building.
- Born on 2nd August 1876, in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, he joined the British Army at age 19 and fought in the Second Boer War (1899 – 1902) in South Africa, where he first met and formed a lasting association with Mahatma Gandhi.
- During the 1921 Indian National Congress (INC) session in Vijayawada, Pingali Venkayya designed and presented the Swaraj Flag on Khadi to Mahatma Gandhi.
- The draft design of the National Flag by Pingali Venkayya featured two horizontal bands red and green representing the Hindu and Muslim communities, with the spinning wheel (Gandhi Charkha) at the centre, the flag was later modified on Gandhi’s suggestion to include a white band (peace) and the charkha (spinning wheel), symbolising Swaraj and self-reliance.
- The design was officially adopted by the INC in 1931, becoming the basis of the modern Indian Tricolour.
- In 1947, an ad hoc committee of the Constituent Assembly recommended retaining the 1931 tricolour while replacing the Charkha with the Ashoka Chakra.
- The Constituent Assembly adopted the present National Flag on 22nd July 1947, and it officially became India’s National Flag on 15th August 1947.
