The government of India released a special commemorative postage stamp to mark the 146th birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya, the designer of India’s national flag. The stamp was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event “Tiranga Utsav” organised by the Ministry of Culture at Indira Gandhi Stadium, in New Delhi.
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The event will also display the original design of the national flag made by Pingali Venkayya. The current flag is the modified version of the first design of the flag. The Tiranga Utsav will also witness the grand launch of the “Har Ghar Tiranga” anthem and video. Venkayya, born on August 02, 1876, near Machilipatnam town in Andhra Pradesh, was a freedom fighter and a follower of Gandhian principles.
Who was Pingali Venkayya?
- Pingali Venkayya was born near Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) on August 2, 1876. Pingali had designed many models of the national flag.
- In 1921, Mahatma Gandhi approved a design during the Indian National Congress meeting in Vijayawada. The national flag that we see today was based upon his design.
- Venkayya was a fervent freedom fighter and the designer of the Indian national flag who went on to become synonymous with the spirit of free and independent India.
- He was a farmer, a geologist, a lecturer at the Andhra National College in Machilipatnam, and fluent in Japanese. He became instantly famous as `Japan Venkayya`.
- In 1916, he published a booklet titled `A National Flag for India`. It not only surveyed the flags of other nations but also offered 30-odd designs of what could develop into the Indian flag.