He Walked Barefoot to Mumbai & Went on To Build the World’s Tallest Statue

19 December 2025

He didn’t inherit studios, patrons, or privilege. Ram Vanji Sutar was born to a carpenter in rural Maharashtra, yet became India’s greatest sculptor, building the world’s tallest statue and a legacy etched in stone.

Born in 1925 in Gondur, a small village in Maharashtra, he grew up watching his father work with wood. In those slow, deliberate movements, young Ram learned patience, precision, and deep respect for work done with the hands.

School ended at Class 5, not because he lacked ability, but because the village had no higher classes. Formal education stopped, but curiosity didn’t. He began drawing on walls, floors, scraps of paper, as if art was finding him.

When his teacher moved to another village, he followed, hoping to study further. Instead, Sutar was pushed into household labour and odd jobs. So one night, with nothing but resolve, he walked barefoot to Mumbai.

The city tested him every single day. He washed dishes, swept floors, and counted every paisa he earned, saving it for one dream: the JJ School of Art.

Soon after passing out, he worked with the Archaeological Survey of India, restoring the ancient wonders of Ajanta and Ellora.

At 35, he built a 40-foot Chambal statue at Gandhi Sagar Dam in just 1.5 years. With each project, his vision grew bolder, paving the way for his greatest masterpiece.

And at 93, when most lives slow down, his took on its greatest scale yet — the Statue of Unity. Rising 182 metres, it became the world’s tallest statue, and a towering tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and India’s unity.

Today, over 8,000 of his sculptures stand across continents — from Indian dams to public squares in France, Japan, and the United States — carrying India’s stories, pride, and respect for labour to the world.

A Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee, Ram Vanji Sutar lived to 100 — leaving behind not just statues, but a legacy that showed the world how passion, perseverance, and vision can sculpt history.