Ram Vanji Sutar: The 98-year-old sculptor behind Ambedkar statue

Ram Vanji Sutar, arguably one of India's most known sculptors is the designer and sculptor of the 125-ft Ambedkar statue

By Sandeep Erukala

Hyderabad: As Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Friday formally unveiled the plaque marking the inauguration of the 125-ft statue of Dr BR Ambedkar at Tank Bund in the presence of Dr. BR Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, there was one 98-year-old man who must have been smiling with pride, after adding one more towering statue to his long list of sculptures that reach into the skies.

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Ram Vanji Sutar, arguably one of India’s most known sculptors is the designer and sculptor of the 125-ft Ambedkar statue. Sutar is also the sculptor of the Statue of Unity (Sardhar Vallabhai Patel) in Gujarat. One of the most prolific and showcased sculptors in India, Sutar has sculpted several such popular statues including Mahatma Gandhi’s statue inside the Parliament building. His works have also been gifted to other countries like England, France and Russia.

In the beginning of his career as a sculptor, Sutar participated in restoring many antique carvings of the Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra between 1954 and 1958. Sutar’s first recognisable creation was the 45-foot Chambal monument in Madhya Pradesh. The memorial was made from a single rock, and it was unveiled in 1961.

The first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru commissioned Sutar to create a 50-foot bronze monument to mark the craftsmanship of workers who constructed the Bhakra Nangal Dam. The other famous creations of Sutar include the Triumph of Labour statue in Chennai, Govind Ballabh Pant in Delhi, Karpuri Thakur and Bihar Vibhuti Anugrah Narain Sinha in Bihar and a 21-ft statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Amritsar.

Awarded the Padma Shri in 1999, he was presented with the Padma Bhushan in 2016.