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Pingali Venkayya

Topics Covered: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.

Pingali Venkayya:

Context:

  • Birth Anniversary- 2nd August.
  • He was born on August 2, 1876, in Andhra Pradesh.
  • He is also known as ‘Jhanda Venkaiah’.

Who was Pingali Venkayya?

Pingali Venkayya was a freedom fighter and the designer of the Indian National Tricolour. The national flag that we see today was based upon his design.

The evolution of Indian National Flag:

  1. Between 1918 and 1921, Venkayya raised the issue of having an own flag in every session of the Congress. Back then, he was working as a lecturer in the Andhra National College in Machilipatnam.
  2. He met the Mahatma once again in Vijayawada and showed him his publication with the various designs of the flag. Acknowledging the need for a national flag, Gandhi then asked Venkayya to design a fresh one at the national congress meeting in 1921.
  3. Initially, Venkayya came up with saffron and green colours, but it later evolved with a spinning wheel at the centre and a third colour-white. (LALA HANS RAJ SONDHI SUGGESTED ADDING A SPINNING WHEEL — SHOWING THE INDEPENDENT INDIANS WHO CAN SPIN THEIR OWN CLOTHING FROM LOCAL FIBRES.)
  4. The flag was officially adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1931.

Pingali_Venkayya

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

  1. About Anglo Boer war.
  2. When was the flag designed by Venkayya was officially accepted by the Indian National Congress?
  3. Adoption of National Flag by the Constituent Assembly.
  4. Flag Code of India- overview.
  5. Manufacturer of the national flag in India.

Mains Link:

Discuss the key provisions of Flag Code of India, 2002.

Sources: pib.