Pingali Venkayya

Pingali Venkayya was an Indian freedom fighter and the person behind the design of the Indian
National Flag. The tricolour pattern in our Flag was his idea to uphold the three pillars of Indian
democracy- saffron symbolising strength, courage and sacrifice, white indicating peace and truth
(Dharma Chakra- progress), and green symbolising growth, fertility, and auspiciousness. Though
Pingali Venkayya’s contribution to the freedom struggle of India is rarely spoken of, if you are preparing
for UPSC Prelims, you should know who Pingali Venkayya is and why he is remembered even today.

Life of Pingali Venkayya

Pingali Venkayya was born on 2nd August 1876 in Bhatlapenumarru village of Andhra Pradesh. His
father’s name was Hanumantaraidu, and his mother’s name was Venkatratanama. The Pingali
Venkayya family was a respectable Telugu Brahmin family.

He completed his high school studies from then Madras (now Chennai) and then moved to England to
pursue his graduation from the University of Cambridge. As a student, he grew to be a polymath; he
had a particular interest in geology, education, agriculture and languages.

During his stay in South Africa at the time of the Anglo Boer war, Venkaya served as a British army
soldier. It was in this period when he met Mahatma Gandhi for the first time, and formed a bond with
him that lasted for more than 50 years. Venkayya was very loyal and highly committed towards Gandhi
and a firm believer of Gandhian principles.

He married a beautiful woman named Rukminamma, and they had a daughter, Ghantasala
Sitamahalakshmi. Venkayya spent his last days in poverty and died on 4th July 1963; according to his
will, his last wish was to be covered in the tricolour national flag that he had designed.

The Story of Our National Flag

While serving in the British Army in South Africa, an incident left a mark on Venkayya’s mind. The
soldiers were asked to salute the Union Jack, the British National Flag. Though Pingali saluted the Flag
at that time, his patriotic sentiments were severely hurt, and he decided something had to be done. This
incident, and Gandhi’s fight for India’s independence turned Venkayya into a freedom fighter.

He was enthusiastic about flags, and after returning to India, he devoted his time to designing flags that
could bind the entire nation as one, and be adopted as the National Flag of independent India. It would
be a national flag for the country.

In 1916, he published a booklet on flags. The booklet was titled ‘A National Flag for India.’ It contained
twenty-four designs of flags. Later, when he met Gandhi in Vijayawada, he showed him the booklet.
Gandhi was pleased to see the design and acknowledged the need for a national flag, so he asked
Venkayya to design a fresh one at the National Congress Meeting, held in 1921.

Initially, Pingali Venkayya-designed the flag featured saffron and green colours only; however, later, it
was redesigned, and the third colour, white, was introduced along with a spinning wheel (Dharma
Chakra) at the centre. Finally, in 1931, the Indian National Congress officially adopted this flag as our
nation’s Flag.

Recognition Bestowed on Pingali Venkayya

To commemorate Pinagli’s contribution to the nation, a stamp was issued in his name, along with his
picture in 2009. Moreover, in 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Government recommended his name for one
of the most prestigious awards of India- Bharat Ratna.

In 2015, the All India Radio Vijayawada was renamed after Venkayya by M. Venkaiah Naidu (Urban
Development Minister of that time). He also unveiled his statue on the premises of the radio station.

Public service examination candidates are advised to include these points in their UPSC notes. For
further reading, they can look up archived editions of national newspapers, in which many stories on
Venkayya have been published, time and again.