Pingali Venkaiah is the man who designed Indian Tricolour, but it was a tailor in Meerut, Naththe Singh, who stitched the first national flag of the country.
Ramesh Chand, son of Natthe Singh, said that his father was a staunch Gandhian and was 22-year-old when he stitched the first Tricolour.
“My father told me that when India became free, a meeting was held in Parliament House. There it was decided that the work to stitch the national flag should be given to the Gandhi Ashram in Meerut. The in-charge of the ashram asked my father to stitch the flag,” Ramesh said.
Ramesh said that at that time there was no electricity in their house and his father did not have enough oil to light the lantern. “My father sought help from neighbours, who gave him kerosene and an additional lantern so that he could start his work,” he said.
“Since then my family has been involved in making Tricolours. This is a matter of pride for us that we are making the national flags,” he said.
Natthe Singh died in 2019 and now the onus is on Ramesh to carry forward the family’s tradition. Ramesh's wife and two daughters also help him in making the Tricolour.
