Renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar has passed away. He was 100 years old. He was the creator of Gujarat's 'Statue of Unity', a tribute to Vallabhbhai Patel. He was praised at home and abroad for the world's tallest statue. However, much earlier, the design of Mahatma Gandhi's statue outside the Parliament building was also his creation. Not only that, but sculptor Ram Sutar was also the creator of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji on horseback outside Parliament. This legend passed away at his Noida residence on Wednesday night.
According to The Hindu's report, Ram Sutar was suffering from age-related ailments. On Thursday, his son Anil Sutar announced in a press statement that Ram Vanji Sutar passed away at home at midnight on December 17.
Ram Sutar was born on February 19, 1925, in Gandure in Maharashtra's Dhule district. From childhood, he was inclined to drawing. He preferred drawing pictures of sculptures. That same boy, one day, achieved worldwide fame as a sculptor.
Ram was a gold medallist from Mumbai's JJ School of Art and Architecture. His designed sculptures are located in various places across the country. The 40-foot-tall 'Vishwarupa' statue of Krishna in Jyotisar, Haryana, the 18-foot-tall statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Kolkata airport, the 15-foot-tall bronze statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar seated in a chair at 15 Janpath in New Delhi— all are Ram's achievements.
Ram Sutar was honoured with 'Padma Shri' in 1999 and 'Padma Bhushan' in 2016. Recently, he received Maharashtra's highest honour, the 'Maharashtra Bhushan' award. His admirers are grief-stricken at the passing of this legend.
