Statue of Unity constructed at Surat in Gujarat and dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was designed by sculptor Ram Sutar. (Photo: Twitter/@PiyushDesaiMLA)

At 182 metres, the Statue of Unity stands 54 metres taller than the next tallest monument in the world which is the Spring Temple of Buddha in China. The Spring Temple was constructed in 11 years; construction of the Statue of Unity was complete in two years and nine months -- the project was announced in 2010. And, the credit goes to sculptor Ram V Sutar.

A Padma Bhushan awardee, Ram Sutar is a decorated sculptor who has fashioned more than 50 monuments across the world during his nearly six-decade-long career as professional sculptor. Ram Sutar will be 94 in February next year.

Before becoming a full-time professional sculptor, Ram Sutar was an adviser to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry designing models for five-year plans. He quit his government job in 1959.

The first monument that brought instant fame to Ram Sutar was the depiction of River Chambal at the Gandhi Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh.

It is 45 feet high and was carved out of a single rock. The river that flows through ravines and badlands in the central India is depicted as Mother Chambal with her two children as Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Nehru to Modi

When Jawaharlal Nehru, then prime minister, saw this Chambal masterpiece, he made up his mind to engage Ram Sutar in a similar project. Dams were an integral part of Nehru's vision of a developed India. He also knew that dams came at a huge cost of labour and lives.

Nehru asked Ram Sutar to construct a 50 feet bronze monument at Bhakra dam dedicated to the workers who laid their lives in building what the first prime minister of India described as "the temple of modern India".

The Bhakra dam monument was to be based on the theme of "Triumph of Labour". But the project was left incomplete for the lack of funds. It is still pending awaiting approval of funds.

By the time Narendra Modi, as the chief minister of Gujarat, engaged Ram Sutar for the Statue of Unity, he had become a celebrated sculptor.

The entire structure of the Statue of Unity is 240-metre high including the base of 58 metres. At this height, the State of Unity is almost double the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US. The Spring Temple of Buddha is 153-metre high including its base of 25 metres.

Sculptor Ram V Sutar at an exhibition of his works in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI file)

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Gandhi, the most favourite

A range of Mahatma Gandhi statues is the best known of Ram Sutar's work. A Gandhi bust designed by Ram Sutar for Mahatma's birth centenary celebrations in 1969 is his most widely circulated work. India gifted replicas of the bust to many countries including the UK, France, Russia and Latin American nations.

The largest copy of the same statue is located at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. It was constructed for 1972 International Trade Fair.

Statues depicting Mahatma Gandhi in meditating pose are another masterpiece of Ram Sutar. Meditating Mahatma is installed in Parliament House complex in New Delhi and at some other places including Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

The Statue of Unity is the second grand monument sculpted by Ram Sutar that Narendra Modi unveiled on Wednesday at Surat in Gujarat. PM Modi had previously unveiled a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Hannover, Germany in 2016.

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