Kejriwal pays tribute to Pingali Venkayya on birth anniversary
Synopsis
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal honoured Pingali Venkayya — designer of India's national tricolour and freedom fighter — on his birth anniversary, calling his contribution to the nation incomparable and saying all of India remains grateful.
Key Takeaways
Arvind Kejriwal posted a Hindi tribute to Pingali Venkayya on his birth anniversary on 2 August 2026 .
Venkayya ( 1879–1963 ) was a freedom fighter and geologist who designed the Indian national flag.
The Indian tricolour based on Venkayya's design was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947 .
Kejriwal described Venkayya as 'the pride of our nation' and said India would be forever grateful for his contribution.
Annual tributes to Venkayya on his birth anniversary are a cross-party tradition among Indian political leaders.
The man who gave India its tricolour was born on this day, and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal paused to honour him — saluting Pingali Venkayya on his birth anniversary with a message that all of India remains eternally grateful for his unparalleled contribution.
Posting in Hindi on Sunday, 2 August 2026, Kejriwal wrote: 'हमारे देश की शान, हमारे राष्ट्रीय ध्वज तिरंगे के अभिकल्पक एवं महान स्वतंत्रता सेनानी पिंगली वेंकैया जी की जयंती पर उन्हें कोटि-कोटि नमन।' — ('On the birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya, the pride of our nation, designer of our national flag the tricolour, and great freedom fighter, I bow to him a crore times. All of India will forever remain grateful for your incomparable contribution.')
The man behind the flag
Pingali Venkayya (1879–1963) was a freedom fighter, geologist, and polyglot whose singular gift to the nation outlasted any political office or battlefield campaign. He devoted years to designing a flag that could unite a diverse, independence-seeking India, presenting multiple drafts to Mahatma Gandhi before arriving at the design that would form the basis of the tricolour. The Constituent Assembly officially adopted the Indian national flag on 22 July 1947 — weeks before the country itself was born free.
Venkayya's contribution is woven into the identity of every Indian citizen, yet he spent his later years in relative obscurity. It was only decades after his death that the state began formally recognising him — a reminder that the architects of national symbols do not always receive their flowers in their own time.
Across party lines, Indian political leaders mark Venkayya's birth anniversary each year, a tradition that reflects the flag's status as one of the few symbols that transcends political contest. For Kejriwal, whose party has frequently invoked the tricolour in its public messaging, the tribute carries that same weight of national pride.
Every time the 🇮🇳 flies — over Parliament, a school, or a smartphone screen — Pingali Venkayya's quiet, determined work is the reason it looks the way it does.
Point of View
A party that has repeatedly placed the tricolour at the centre of its public imagery, honouring the flag's designer reinforces that brand positioning. More broadly, annual commemorations of independence-era figures keep the freedom-struggle narrative alive in contemporary political discourse — a soft-power exercise that costs nothing and carries universal resonance. Venkayya's own story, of a contributor who died in relative obscurity before receiving belated state recognition, also quietly underscores the gap between national symbolism and the treatment of those who created it.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Pingali Venkayya?
Pingali Venkayya ( 1879–1963 ) was an Indian freedom fighter and geologist who designed the Indian national flag. His design formed the basis of the tricolour officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947 .
When was India's national flag adopted?
The Indian national flag was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947 , weeks before India's independence on 15 August 1947.
Why is Pingali Venkayya's birth anniversary observed?
Pingali Venkayya's birth anniversary is observed to honour his contribution as the designer of the Indian tricolour and his role as a freedom fighter. Political leaders and citizens across India mark the occasion each year.
What did Arvind Kejriwal say about Pingali Venkayya?
Kejriwal called Venkayya 'the pride of our nation' and said all of India would forever remain grateful for his incomparable contribution in designing the national flag.
What is Pingali Venkayya's connection to the Indian tricolour?
Venkayya spent years designing a flag for India and presented multiple drafts before arriving at the design that became the tricolour. The Constituent Assembly adopted it officially on 22 July 1947 .
