Meet creator of sculptures that reflect India's heritage
Looking east, the equestrian statue of the Maratha warrior king is not just impressive, it carries a significant meaning because of the location it is installed at. As Unesco declared 12 forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji World Heritage sites recently, the spotlight also falls on city-based sculptor Sunil Kashinath Deore, who created this beautiful statue in bronze. It has been drawing admiration from thousands of passersby every day since the then chief minister Eknath Shinde unveiled it in Sept 2024.
"Shivaji Maharaj raided Surat twice (in 1664 and 1670) and damaged the reputation of the Mughals. A substantial number of people who enter Mumbai from Gujarat by road take this route and meet Shivaji Maharaj at one of the city's gates," says Deore, 52, who collaborated with Garnet, which was commissioned to create the statue.
In July 2022, Deore courted controversy after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the national emblem cast atop the new Parliament building.
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Many opposition leaders, including Jairam Ramesh, criticised the expressions of the lions cast on the emblem. The opposition leaders claimed that the original lions at the 'Lion Capital of Asoka' at Sarnath in UP look "sober and peace-loving" while those in the cast atop the new Parliament building look "aggressive and ferocious".
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But did Deore, who collaborated with Jaipur-based metal casting expert Laxman Vyas, deviate from the original design? "No.
The lions looked aggressive because photos were taken from a wide angle. It took us almost a year to prepare the replica," says Deore, a gold medallist from the prestigious J J School of Art in sculpture studies.
Having inscribed his name in history by virtue of creating the replica of the national emblem that sits atop the new Parliament building, Deore has bagged another important assignment: To create murals for different offices at the new central secretariat coming up near the iconic India Gate in New Delhi.
"These murals to be installed at offices of the ministries will showcase India's rich cultural heritage," says the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-born sculptor, who has studios both in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Mumbai.
Deore's realistic, experimental works have earned appreciation from his peers and contemporaries. Vivek Lad, who was Deore's senior at J J School of Art and taught there before retiring a couple of years ago, calls Deore's works "monumental".
"I have seen him work for years and he experiments with various mediums," says Lad.
The Buddha statue that he created a few years ago, says Deore, is awaiting CM Devendra Fadnavis's attention. "Fadnavis should gift it to Delhi on behalf of Maharashtra," suggests Rajendra Jadhav of Borderless Babasaheb, which works to popularise Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideas.
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