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28 Apr 2025

Veteran Artist Rohit Zaveri Passes Away

Rohit Zaveri

Receiving National Award for Graphic Design
from President of India in 1983

Veteran artist Rohit Kantilal Jhaveri, winner of multiple awards and acclaimed for his paintings, murals and graphic designs that adorn many places in and around Surat, passed away on April 18, 2025 at the age of 75. His wife Bharti passed away a few years earlier, and he is now survived by his daughters Bhavini and Kruti and their families.

Born in Palanpur in 1949, Zaveri completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from M.S. University in Vadodara in 1970 and went on to do a PG Diploma n Painting under the renowned painter KG Subramanyan in 1973. He later also had opportunities to work with Subramanyan and another legendary painter Sankho Chaudhuri.

Over the past nearly five decades, Zaveri, who settled in Surat, was well known as an artist and creative person. He has participated in multiple solo as well as group shows, and took part in numerous art-related events and camps.

Zaveri received the DAVP’s National Award for Best Graphic Design in 1983 from Hon President of India Gyani Zail Singh and eight other awards, including the Pablo Picasso International Award in the field of Fine Arts, the Kalidas Samaroh Samiti award in Ujjain and others.

Many of his artworks can be seen in Surat adorning hospitals, private clinics, schools, bungalows and apartments. Among his popular works are the designs and artworks he created at the Dada Bhagwan Holistic Science Research Centre at Kamrej and the Nandini Veterinary Hospital run by the Shri Surat Panjarapole trust.

Zaveri also took up public turnkey projects like the traffic islands in Surat and at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University campus in Surat.

In 2011, a digital print of Mahatma Gandhi created by him was displayed at the International Biennial of Print Art at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal and in 2021 a set of sculptural paintings entitled “Unknown Planet” were displayed at the prestigious International Art Expo New York. The artworks of this show were described by Zaveri as being “a landmark creation from all perspectives” with the “inspiration, selection of medium, subject treatment (being) unparalleled”. They comprised depictions of various planetary textures created by him in thermocol of 75-85 kg density.