Renowned sculptor Ram Sutar, best known for designing the world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, passed away late on Wednesday night at his residence in Noida, his family said. He was 100 and had been suffering from age-related ailments.
"It is with profound grief that we inform you of the passing of my father, Shri Ram Vanji Sutar on December 17 at midnight at our residence," his son Anil Sutar said in a note shared with the press on Thursday.
Born on February 19, 1925, in Gondur village of Dhule district in present-day Maharashtra, Sutar showed an early inclination towards sculpting. A gold medallist from Mumbai’s JJ School of Art and Architecture, he went on to build a distinguished career spanning several decades.
Among his most celebrated works are the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a seated meditative pose and the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on horseback at the Parliament complex. His most iconic creation, the Statue of Unity, honours Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first deputy prime minister and home minister.
Sutar was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016. He was recently conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar, the highest civilian award of the state.
