Vijayawada: Pingali Venkayya birth anniversary celebrated

Vijayawada: The Vijayawada Division of the South Central Railway celebrated the 147th birth anniversary of Pingali Venkayya here on Wednesday. Divisional Railway Manager Narendra Anandrao Patil garlanded the statue of Pingali Venkayya, designer of the Indian national flag along with D Srinivasa Rao, ADRM (Infrastructure) at Vijayawada Railway Station. All the branch officers, inspectors, and staff paid floral tributes to legendary freedom fighter hailing from Krishna district.

Speaking on the occasion, the DRM said that Pingali Venkayya is the pride of Vijayawada and his name is etched in the hearts of citizens forever for his unparalleled deed and contribution towards freedom struggle. He stated that our 102-year-old national flag symbolises the complex and diverse linguistic, cultural, and religious fabric of the nation woven into one. He also said that everyone must take inspiration from the life and works of Pingali Venkayya and strive for the unity of the nation.

In order to honour his heroics, the statue of Pingali Venkayya was constructed at the East Main Entrance of Vijayawada Railway Station in November 2020 by the Engineering Department, as part of the station beautification project.

A portrait of Pingali Venkayya is also placed at the Clock tower as a mark of respect for his contributions to the freedom struggle. Last year an old antique plaque containing the All India Congress approval of the Flag designed by Venkayya in Hindi and Telugu was placed at the East Main Entrance of Vijayawada Station.

Senior DCM Rambabu Vavilapalli, Senior DEN S Varun Babu, Station Director PBN Prasad, PRO Nusrat M Mandrupkar, inspectors, and staff participated.