Centre website names AP resident as National Flag designer

Hyderabad: This newspaper also sought from the Union home ministry, in its RTI query, a copy of the resolution approving the final design of the flag; and a copy of the original proposal or first proposal of the tricolour, as submitted by Pingli Venkayya or Suraiya Tayyabji, or any other person.

In a reply, Mr Anuj Sharma, director (A&V) and Central Public Information Officer of the Union home ministry, stated: “It is informed that as per the book, Our Flag published by the publications division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Government of India, the Constituent Assembly on 22 July, 1947, adopted the Indian National Flag. Copies of the relevant extracts are enclosed herewith. No other information related to your queries (name of designer of the national flag) is available with the undersigned.”

In a contradiction, the Indian government website, India.gov.in, in its page “History of Indian tricolor” acknowledges even today that the “National Flag of India was designed by Pingali Venkayya and adopted in its present form during the meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on July 22, 1947, a few days before India’s Independence from the British on August 15, 1947. It served as the national flag of the Dominion of India between August 15, 1947 and January 26, 1950 and that of the Republic of India thereafter. In India, the term ‘tricolour’ refers to the Indian national flag.”

Read: Centre has no name for Indian National Flag designer

As per the extracts sent by the home ministry official titled “Adoption” on July 22, 1947, Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru moved the resolution in the Constituent Assembly.

Describing the flag, Nehru had said, “We thought of a design for a flag which was beautiful, because the symbol of a nation must be beautiful to look at. We thought of a flag which, in its combination and in its separate parts, would represent the spirit of the nation, the tradition of synthesis which has characterised us for thousands of years...”

He had added: “Resolved that the National Flag of India shall be a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesari), white and dark green in equal proportions. In the centre of the white band, there shall be a wheel in navy blue to represent the ‘Charkha’. The design of the wheel shall be that of the wheel (Chakra) which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion capital of Asoka...”

The resolution was followed by a speech by the Prime Minister, which ended all controversy. “I am sure that many in this House will feel the glow and warmth which I feel, for behind this resolution and the Flag, which I have the honour to present to this House for adoption, lies history, the concentrated history of a short span in a nation's existence.”

Capt. L. Panduranga Reddy, a freedom fighter, said though Venkayya’s name is promoted, former AICC president Dr Bogaraju Pattabhi Sita-ramayya of Machilipatnam, AP, in his book Congress Charitra in 1935 had stated that the Congress had adopted the red, white and green flag of the Home Rule League of Dr Annie Besant, replacing the red with saffron.

First flag version hoisted in Kolkata
The current National Flag is a horizontal tricolour with deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green, navy-blue wheel, which represents the chakra. It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22, 1947.

The Indian National Flag went through many changes to arrive at what it is today. In a way, it reflects the political developments in the nation and historical milestones:

The first national flag in India is said to have been hoisted on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta (now Kolkata). The flag had three horizontal strips of red, yellow and green.

The second flag was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of exiled revolutionaries in 1907. This was similar to the first flag except that the top strip had one lotus and seven stars denoting the Saptarishi. This flag was also exhibited at a Socialist conference in Berlin.

The third flag went up in 1917. Dr. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak hoisted it during the Home Rule movement. This flag had five red and four green horizontal strips arranged alternately, with seven stars in the Saptarishi configuration super-imposed on them. In the

Left-hand top corner (the pole end) was the Union Jack. There was also a white crescent and star in one corner.

At the AICC meet at Bezwada in 1921 (now Vijayawada), an Andhra youth prepared a flag and took it to Gandhiji. It was made up of two colours - red and green - representing the two major communities i.e. Hindus and Muslims. Gandhiji suggested the addition of a white strip to represent the remaining communities of India and the spinning wheel to symbolise progress of the nation.

The year 1931 was a landmark in the history of the flag. A resolution was passed adopting the tricolour as our national flag.

This flag, the forbearer of the present one, was saffron, white and green with Mahatma Gandhi's spinning wheel at the centre. It was stated that it bore no communal significance.

On July 22, 1947, the Constituent Assembly adopted it as the Free India National Flag. After the Independence, the colours and their significance on the flag remained the same and retained their values and meanings. The Dharma Charkha of Emperor Asoka was adopted in place of the spinning wheel as the emblem on the flag.