Renowned sculptor Ram V Sutar, who designed Statue of Unity, passes away in Noida

“We have lost a great sculptor whose world-class work reminds us of his talent, life, and hard work,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in his condolence message.

Fadnavis spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and requested that Sutar’s final rites be conducted with state honours. Both have reportedly given their consent.

Last month, Fadnavis, along with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, had presented the Maharashtra Bhushan Award, the state’s highest civilian award, to Sutar at his Noida residence.

Sutar received the Padma Shri in 1999, followed by the Padma Bhushan in 2016. A gold medallist from Mumbai’s J J School of Art and Architecture, he has a long list of achievements to his credit.

Sutar designed the Statue of Unity in Gujarat–the world’s tallest statue at 182 metres—and also won acclaim for his Mahatma Gandhi bust, which was replicated and sent to 450 cities across India and outside. Among his other notable works are the 45-foot-tall Chambal monument, the seated Mahatma Gandhi statue installed outside the old Parliament building in New Delhi, and its larger replica at the Vidhana Soudha in Karnataka. He also created the 108-foot-tall Kempe Gowda statue at Bengaluru airport.

Earlier, while presenting the award to Sutar, Fadnavis had praised him, saying each sculpture designed by him is an “art of perfection”.