Renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, who has designed the Statue of Unity in Narmada district in Gujarat has been selected for the prestigious 2016 Tagore Award by the Union Ministry of Culture.
The award jury was headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and included Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi, former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami and national vice president of the BJP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.
The award was instituted by the government during the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore in 2011. It was conferred first on sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. It carries an award prize of Rs 1 crore, a citation in a scroll and a plaque.
Sutar, a receipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri expressed his happiness and thanked the government for conferring him with the honour.
Union Home Minister Mahesh Sharma visited his house on Thursday evening and congratulated him.
Statue of Unity, India’s ode to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the Indian freedom struggle, will be the world’s tallest statue, twice the size of the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Unity will be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, which also marks the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, the Ironman of India. The world’s tallest statue dedicated to independent India’s first Home Minister stands at 182 metre (597 feet) tall.
The monument is touted to become one of the most important tourist places of India.
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