A man named Pingali Venkayya was born on 2nd of August 1876 in Bhatlapenumuru near Machilipatnam of Krishna District in Andhra Pradesh. After High school he went to Colombo in Ceylon to study at Senior Cambridge. He found work as a railway guard, clerk at a Government office in Bellary but decided to further his education as he didn’t find any happiness in them. He joined Anglo-Vedic College in Lahore and learnt Urdu and Japanese, after that he got himself a double PhD. He had an immense knowledge in geology. One of his Ph.Ds was in geology too. His expertise in Agriculture impressed the British overlords as well. So much so he was bestowed honorary membership of Royal Agriculture Society of Britain.

He served in the British Army during Anglo- Boer wars in South Africa, a period during which he met a young man named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Ring any bells?

Well he was the one who came up with the idea of India having its own flag. During the meeting of National conference of Indian National Congress held at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh on 31st March 1921 and 1st April 1921 Venkayya suggested the idea. His friend who he met in South Africa, Mohandas (now Mahatma) Gandhi was very much impressed with his suggestion. Mahatma asked Pingali Venkayya to come up with the design of National Flag.

Support wasn’t unanimous however; the National Congress didn’t officially accept the tri-colour. Pingali Venkayya first designed the flag in two colours of saffron and green representing the two major religions in India, Hinduism & Islam. Gandhiji liked it and insisted on adding a white strip to the flag representing the other minorities. 

During the National Congress conference in Karachi in 1931 Venkayya came up with a modified flag putting a Dharma Chakra (the emblem of Emperor Ashoka) in place of the Charkha at the centre of the flag. Saffron representing courage, white representing truth and peace and green representing faith and prosperity. The flag was finally accepted as National Flag after passing a resolution. 

This local freedom fighter popularly known as ‘Diamond Venkayya’ passed away on the 4th of July, 1963 in poverty, forgotten by the society and the Congress party he helped establish. His family didn’t see the light of pension for years after his passing nor was a memorial built in his home town. A forgotten warrior is an understatement. In the year 2009, a postage stamp was issued to commemorate him but too little too late in my opinion.