Every time we look at our national flag, the unfurling of the tricolour it evokes a sense of pride among every Indian. But have you ever thought of who designed our national flag? It was designed by a freedom fighter named Pingali Venkayya. Born on August 2, 1876, today marks his 144th birth anniversary. He was born in Bhatlapenumarru in today's Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. On his birth anniversary, we tell you some interesting facts about him. How to Dispose Off The Indian National Flag Respectfully According to Flag Code of India.

  • He was a linguist, geologist and also a writer. Speaking in multiple languages he worked as a lecturer in a college.

  • Pingali Venkayya joined the British army when he was just 19 years of age. He met Mahatma Gandhi in Africa during his stint as a soldier in the Second Boer War (1899-1902).

  • He was a Gandhian ideologist. His association with Mahatma Gandhi was for over 50 years.

  • After returning to India he dedicated himself to making the design of the Indian flag.

  • In 1916, he published a booklet on flags of other nations with various samples. It had 30 designs for the Indian flag. He had put forward the idea of having our own flag for years in Congress sessions between 1918 and 1921.

  • In the year 1921, he made a design of the Indian flag which consisted of red and green bands. Gandhi made some changes to it and added a white band to symbolise peace.

  • His flag design was used by the members of the Indian Independence Movement and it was subsequently modified to the saffron, white and green in the year 1947. National Flag Adoption Day 2020: Five Interesting Things to Know About The Adoption of Tricolour as Official Flag of India.

  • He even gave a full-length speech in Japanese in 1913, so he was given the title Japan Venkayya.

  • Pingali Venkayya has been honoured by the Indian postal service with a postage stamp in 2009 for his contribution as a freedom fighter.

He passed away on July 4, 1963, in Vijaywada. It is said that he had a wish to see the Indian flag on the Red fort but he could not visit Delhi at that time.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 02, 2020 10:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).