India, Feb. 19 -- The high energy among 150 workers at the Ram Sutar Fine Arts Pvt Ltd foundry in Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh, was palpable on Monday afternoon as finishing touches were being given to parts of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, commissioned by the Maharashtra government in October 2024, at the cost of Rs.21 crore.

The deadline for the project was February 19, 2025, when the 60-foot tall statue was slated to be inaugurated at Rajkot Fort, in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, to mark the occasion of Shivaji Jayanti. Incidentally, it is also the day when the Padma Bhushan decorated sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar turns 100.

While the lower legs of the statue, measuring 15 feet, have already been sent to Sindhudurg, the upper...