Pingali Venkaiah- Designer of the Indian National Flag By Anita Satyajit

Published in – Windows& Aisles

The territories of the modern state of were part of the during the British regime. But the contribution of the Telugu speaking populace in the freedom movement can be highlighted best by studying the contribution of one man who gave her first national identity, the flag. That person was Venkaiah.

Born on the 2nd of August 1876 in the village of Bhatlapenumaru, Masulipatnam (Machlipatnam), Pingali Venkaiah grew up into an intelligent student who excelled in all he undertook. After completing his primary education at Challapalli and at the Hindu High School in Masulipatnam, he went to Colombo to complete his Senior Cambridge.

Soon after in the year 1895, at age 19 he enlisted himself in the Boer War. The move turned out to play a great role in chalking the course of his life for it was during his stay at South Africa that he met first met . Venkaiah returned to India and worked first as a railway guard at Bangalore and Madras, and then as the plague officer at Bellary. But his zeal to be part of freedom movement was strong and he soon quit his government job, choosing instead to further his intellectual pursuits. He moved to Lahore and learnt history, Japanese and Urdu at the Anglo-Vedic College.

It was during this time that he began his foray into active politics. He became a member of the Congress and met with revolutionaries who were involved in the Freedom movement. He often indulged in debates with on ways to end the British rule. It was during that time that he attended the 1906 Congress session. Witnessing Dadabhai Naoroji hoist the Union Jack, instilled him the desire and need for India to have her own National flag.

Though the cause for a National flag was foremost in his mind, from 1906 to 1911 Pingali Venkaiah spent his time in Munagala focusing on research relating to agriculture. His accomplishments were so noteworthy that the British conferred on him honorary membership of the Royal Agricultural Society of Britain.

After his stint at Mungala, Venkaiah returned to Masulipatnam. Here he established the National School, and taught students horse riding, history and agriculture. Though to the world he was an educationalist and agriculturist, Venkaiah was deeply involved in researching flags belonging to different countries of the world. Based on his research, he published a book called the ‘A National Flag for India’ in the year 1916 building a case for the creation and establishment of the National flag. He then designed a flag with two colours, red and green which he felt best represented the dominant religions in the country.

Venkaiah began to actively advocate the need for a national flag. But his moment finally arrived in 1921. The historic All India Congress meet was taking place at the Victoria Jubilee museum in Bezwada (Vijaywada). Here he approached Gandhiji with his design for the flag. Gandhiji approved of the flag, suggesting the addition of a white band in the centre to symbolize the other minority religions in the country and of the Charka, spinning wheel in the middle. Venkaiah modified the flag the same day to incorporate Gandhiji’s suggestions. Though the flag was accepted due to Gandhiji’s approval, it was formally accepted as the National flag only during the AICC met at Karachi in 1931. In the intervening years, the Charka had changed into the Ashoka Charka and the red to Saffron. But Pingali Venkaiah was still credited as the designer of the flag. He was greatly appreciated back then by many including Gandhiji who mentioned him in his magazine, ‘Young India’.

It is unthinkable that the man who designed the National flag could die in obscurity, unsung by the people of his nation. But this is true for Pingali Venkiah. Not much is known about him, and when he died on the 4th of July 1963, Pingali Venkiah was a poor man whose family was already scattered. He died unable to fulfill his last desire of seeing the Indian flag, flutter atop the ramparts of the Red Fort, because his family did not have the financial means to take him to Delhi.

Pingali Venkaiah was unlisted as a freedom fighter with the government. However the last few years have seen the government make attempts at reviving his name and honour. Debates were raised in the Rajya Sabha seeking the release of a commemorative stamp in his honour and inclusion of his name in history text-books among other things. The only outcome of these debates have been pension for his daughter and grand-daughter who struggle to make ends meet, and a statue of him in Vijaywada.

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