A massive roaring Asiatic lion and a galloping horse are among 10 new sculptures made from scrap metal set to soon adorn Ahmedabad’s streets.
According to a media report, Crafted entirely from discarded metal collected from the city’s waste, the artworks blend public art with sustainability—breathing new life into scrap while reflecting culture, identity, and imagination.
In sculptor Sunil Shridhar’s open-air studio, pieces take shape: a blue javelin-thrower likely honouring Neeraj Chopra, a flag sculpture with the five Olympic rings, Gravity of Love—a couple frozen mid-dance inside a metallic ring—and Weapon of Wisdom, where a pencil coils around a finger like the Sudarshan Chakra.
Other upcoming works include a yoga posture, a large figurative abstract form breaking urban monotony, and the Wheel of Peace, symbolising the five elements—earth, water, fire, air, and space—in a flowing design.
Ahmedabad already boasts 22 such scrap-metal sculptures across the city, each telling its own story of resilience and transformation. These 10 new additions promise to bring fresh meaning and creativity to the city’s evolving landscape.
This initiative is being executed in collaboration with artists contracted by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). One of them, Sunil Shridhar,Said, “I have worked abroad and received several opportunities to continue there. But my heart has always been set on contributing to India; that is the thought that drives me.”
“Ahmedabad is my hometown, and when you are working for your own city, you give it your absolute best. If possible, I would like to extend this kind of artistic contribution to all of Gujarat, and eventually, to the entire country.”
The use of scrap metal to create public art has a dual function: it is a cost-effective way to beautify the city, and it sends a strong message about reuse and resourcefulness at a time when cities across India are grappling with the challenges of urban waste.
Across Ahmedabad, 22 sculptures have already found their place in the city’s ever-evolving urban landscape, each one forged from discarded scrap metal, and each telling a story of resilience, identity, and transformation.
Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said repurposing scrap metal into public sculptures is part of Ahmedabad’s broader ‘waste to wealth’ initiative. “The metal used in these installations is sourced from urban waste collected in and around the city,” he said.
He added that Ahmedabad’s recent recognition with the Clean City award in the over 10 lakh population category reinforces this vision. “Our focus on recycling, reusing, and reducing aligns seamlessly with the ethos of the Waste to Wealth mission,” he said.
Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic) N N Chaudhari said the installation of sculptures takes place only after a team of experts from the AMC reviews them. “If we observe any traffic-related issues afterwards, we immediately raise the concerns with the AMC, and they respond promptly and positively,” he added.
