A craftsman who gave form to one of independent India's most resonant symbols is no longer with us. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, expressed grief over the passing of Thiru Vummidi Ethiraj Ji, a Tamil Nadu-based master goldsmith from the storied Vummidi family of artisans, whose hands helped shape the historic Sengol — the ceremonial sceptre that once marked the transfer of power at India's independence in 1947.

The man behind the Sengol's golden legacy

In her tribute, CM Gupta wrote that for Vummidi Ethiraj, 'craftsmanship was more than an art — it was a way of preserving the memory, faith and cultural identity of a civilisation.' That is not a small claim. The Vummidi family's connection to the Sengol stretches back to the final hours of British rule, when the sceptre was crafted by Tamil artisans and handed to the first Prime Minister as a symbol of sovereign authority. Vummidi Ethiraj carried that lineage forward across decades.

His most visible legacy in the present era came on 28 May 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed the Sengol in the new Parliament building in New Delhi during the complex's inauguration — restoring the sceptre from relative obscurity to a place of constitutional prominence. CM Gupta called this association 'one enduring chapter of a much larger legacy.'

A generation of artisans keeping ancient India alive

Vummidi Ethiraj belonged to a cohort of craftsmen who operated quietly but consequentially — families whose workshops held techniques centuries old, and who passed them on not through museums but through practice. That living transmission is precisely what CM Gupta highlighted: 'He belonged to a generation of artisans who ensured that India's ancient traditions remained a living part of its present.'

The tribute arrives against a broader pattern: since 2014, the central government has made the restoration of pre-independence and ancient symbols to official spaces a consistent policy thread. The Sengol's journey from a forgotten storeroom to a prime position inside Parliament is among the most visible expressions of that effort — and it would not have been possible without artisan families like the Vummidis, who kept the craft knowledge alive long before any policy mandated it.

Condolences and a closing prayer

CM Gupta extended her 'sincere condolences to his family and admirers,' closing with the words Om Shanti — a quiet, dignified farewell that matched the weight of the moment. No flourish, no political framing. Just acknowledgement of a life spent in service to something larger than any single commission.

Artisan lineages like the Vummidi family rarely make headlines on their own terms. Today, one of their most distinguished voices fell silent — and the golden sceptre standing in Parliament speaks louder for it.