We pay tribute to Shriman Pingali Venkayyagaru

India National Flag`s Designer Shriyuth Pingali Venkayyagaru

The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947…. And all of us do carry the Flag Very proudly… But How many people do know who has Designed…most of you/us do not even know this…He is our Shriyuth Pingali Venkayya Garu.

Sri Pingali Venkayya Garu is also Known as Diamond Venkayya , Patti Venkayya (Cotton Venkayya). Born on August 2, 1876 to Hanumantharayudu and Venkataratnamma at Bhatlapennumaru in the Divi taluk in Krishna district Andhra Pradesh.After finishing his primary education at Challapalli and school at the Hindu High School, Machilipatnam, he went to Colombo to complete his Senior Cambridge. Enthused by patriotic zeal, he enlisted himself for the Boer war at 19. While in Africa he met Gandhi, and their rapport lasted for more than half a century. His patriotic zeal, however, did not permit him to stagnate in a permanent job ( He worked as railway Guard), and his quest for education took him to Lahore where he joined the Anglo-Vedic College, and learnt Japanese and Urdu and History.

From 1906 to 1911, Shreeman Pingali Venkayyagaru spent most of his time researching staple varieties of crops and came up with a study on a special variety called Cambodia Cotton. With the British rulers taking notice of his study, Pingali came to be known as Patti Venkayya (literally ‘Cotton Venkayya’).He was immensely knowledgeable in geology and obtained a doctorate in it. He was an authority on diamond mining in Andhra Pradesh and was popularly known as ‘Diamond Venkayya’. Returning to Masulipatnam, he spent 5 years 1916-21 researching flags of 30 countries and finally came up with the present tricolor. However, the flag of the Vandmataram movement is sometimes thought to be the antecedent of Venkayya’s tricolor.

Gandhian Shriyuth Pingali Venkaiahgaru lived in poverty all his life. And even before his death in 1963 in a hut in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, the family was in tatters with the kin hardly knowing the whereabouts of one another.There is not even a memorial in his hometown Machilipatnam to the man who made such an important contribution to the nation. It was only a few years ago that his daughter began to receive pension from the government. There is not even a memorial in his hometown Machilipatnam to the man who brought such glory to Andhra.

Respect our Leaders and great legends like Sri Pingali Venkayya Garu…And do pass this to the coming generations…this is our rich heritage…and do pay homage to the greats…we all need to at least remember this leaders…for their great sacrifice.. We missed his Death anniversary which was on July 4th..but let`s pay homage to him on his Birth Anniversary August 2nd.. Or else we cannot forgive ourselves…This tribute to all the greats who helped us to be what we are..and gain independence!!!!!!