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Nadigudem, where Pingali designed Tricolour.
Nadigudem in Nalgonda district has a place of pride in Indian history as it is where freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya designed the national flag.
Kodad: Nadigudem in Nalgonda district has a place of pride in Indian history as it is where freedom fighter Pingali Venkayya designed the national flag.
Venkayya, an agricultural scientist, who hailed from Bhatlapenumarru in Krishna district, came to Nadigudem in 1910 at the insistence of Zamindar Nayani Venkata Ranga Rao who urged the former to promote cotton cultivation in Munagala Paragana as the crop was newly-introduced in the area.
Venkayya, who was popular as 'Patti Venkayya' in those days for his vast knowledge of cotton cultivation, used to apprise cotton farmers of modern methods of cultivation.
Even British Government also took note of the research done by Venkayya in cotton cultivation. Before taking a plunge in to the freedom struggle, Venkayya worked as honorary advisor to the Zamindar for some time.
In response to a call given by Mahatma Gandhi to design a flag for the Indian National Congress which spearheaded the freedom movement, Venkayya started working on it.
After a lot of thinking, he designed the tricolour with a Charkha in the middle. He showed the flag to Mahatma Gandhi at the annual conference of the Indian National Congress held in Vijayawada in 1921.
Mahatma Gandhi selected the tricolour designed by Venkayya after examining several other flags. The Constituent Assembly adopted it as a national flag with Ashok Chakra in the middle on July 22, 1947.
Though Venkayya played a key role in the Independence movement, he was not duly rewarded for the sacrifices made by him. The selfless freedom fighter led a miserable life in his last days due to absolute poverty and died on July 4, 1963.
Venkayya remained as one of the unsung heroes of the Indian freedom movement.
Expressing gratitude to Venkayya for giving a place of pride to their village in Indian history, people of Nadigudem urged the government to build a memorial for him as a befitting tribute to the designer of national flag.
Speaking to The Hans India, a villager Gundu Srinu said, "Nadigudem can be developed as a tourist centre in Nalgonda district by setting up a memorial for Venkayya as it helps inspire the young generation to strive for nation building."
By: V Purnachandra Rao
