The man who gave India its tricolour was born on 2 August 1879 — and nearly eight decades after his design became the nation's flag, leaders across the country still pause to honour him. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami marked Pingali Venkayya's birth anniversary on Sunday, 2 August 2026, offering a tribute on X that called the tricolour 'not merely a flag, but an immortal symbol of India's identity, unity, self-respect, and national strength.'

In his post, CM Dhami described Venkayya as a 'great freedom fighter and designer of the national flag' (rashtradhwaj ke abhikalpaak mahan swatantrata senani), adding that his life — 'filled with patriotism and dedication' — would continue to inspire every Indian toward national service.

The man behind the tricolour

Pingali Venkayya, born in Bhatlapenumarru, Andhra Pradesh, was a polymath freedom fighter, agriculturist, and geologist who became consumed by the idea of a unifying flag for India. After years of advocacy and multiple design iterations, his proposal — featuring the now-iconic saffron, white, and green horizontal bands — was taken up and refined. The Constituent Assembly formally adopted the tricolour on 22 July 1947, just weeks before Independence, as India's national flag. The Ashoka Chakra, a navy-blue 24-spoke wheel, replaced the original spinning wheel at the centre.

Venkayya died in 1963, decades before the full weight of his contribution was officially recognised. India issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honour in 2009, and calls for a Bharat Ratna — the country's highest civilian award — have surfaced periodically, though the honour has not yet been conferred.

A ritual of remembrance across party lines

Tributes to Venkayya on his birth anniversary have become a near-universal ritual in Indian political life, with chief ministers, Union ministers, and Members of Parliament from across the spectrum posting homages on 2 August each year. The practice reflects the flag's unique status as one of the few symbols that transcends political division — every party claims the tricolour, and by extension, its designer.

For CM Dhami, the tribute also fits a broader pattern of the BJP's sustained emphasis on national symbols and freedom-era figures as touchstones of governance messaging. The tricolour gained renewed public salience after the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, launched ahead of India's 75th Independence Day in 2022, urged citizens to hoist the flag at their homes — a drive that brought Venkayya's legacy back into mainstream conversation.

The tricolour flies over every institution of the Republic. The man who sketched it first deserves to be remembered by name — and on his birthday, at least, he is.