“End of an Era”: Ram Vanji Sutar, Visionary Sculptor of Statue of Unity, Passes Away at the Age of 100 Years
INDIA bidding farewell to its greatest artistic legend, Padma Bhushan Ram Vanji Sutar, who designed the world’s tallest statue – the Statue of Unity. He passed away in the wee hours of December 17, 2025, in his residence in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Sutar, who attained the age of 100 years in 2025, shall always be remembered for his legacy of immortalizing heroes of India in bronze and statues.
Ram Vanji Sutar was born on February 19, 1925, in the small village of Gondur, located in the Dhule district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The life trajectory of Ram Vanji Sutar, a small-town lad who was passionate about modeling objects using clay and has established himself as a renowned sculptor across the world, is nothing short of an inspiring story. Ram Vanji Sutar has been a gold medallist from Mumbai’s renowned Sir J.J. School of Art and Architecture.
Iconic Creations that Shaped a Nation
The most illustrious project of Sutar is the Statue of Unity, a colossal statue that takes a height of 182 meters to dedicate to India’s Iron Man, Shri Vallabhbhai Patel, who was the country’s first deputy prime minister. The monument was erected in 2018 in Kevadia, Gujarat, to mark national unity, representing India’s tallest statue.
Some of his other masterpieces include:
The Meditative Seated Statue of Mahatma Gandhi on Parliament premises The magnificent equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, also present in Parliament Many statues of leaders such as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, and international leaders installed around the globe In Noida, he maintains a studio with his son Anil, and they have installed over 50 monumental sculptures in various parts of India and the international arena.
Honors and Tributes Pour In
He has received the prestigious Padma Shri (1999), Padma Bhushan (2016), and the recent one is the Maharashtra Bhushan Award for the year 2024, which is the highest civilian award for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at the forefront in paying his last respects to the sculptor, describing him as a “remarkable sculptor whose expertise gifted India some of her most precious gems.
” Other political leaders, including the CM of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, took to social media to express their deep sorrow, referring to the sculptor as the “Kohinoor of sculpture.” “Yes, he is dead. His last rites were performed on the 18th of last month,” Anil Sutar, his son, told PTI. Ram Vanji Sutar, although gone, will be remembered in future generations to come through the towering statues that symbolize the essence of Indian spirit, oneness, and pride.
