Who is Sudarsan Pattnaik?
Sudarsan Pattnaik is a self-taught sand artist based in Puri, Odisha. He was born on 15 April 1977. Since his early childhood, he was interested in the beaches and creating sand art, a skill he honed by himself. While building sand sculptures was fun to him, he was oblivious to the local media attention towards his sand art. Once he gained notoriety for his sand art, he considered it as a serious career. What started as a hobby quickly turned into a full-time profession.
In 1991, he established the Sudarsan Sand Art Institute in Puri, where he teaches local children the art of making sand sculptures.
Honours and Awards
Sudarsan Pattanik has participated in over 70 international and local sand art competitions and festivals. He has won several of them. A few notable awards bestowed upon him include the following.
- In 2014, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to sand art.
- In 2019, he won the People’s Choice Award in the Sand Sculpting World Cup.
- He was included in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2017 for building the tallest Sand Castle (48 ft) at Puri Beach, Odisha.
- In 2019, he became the first Indian to win the Italian Sand Art Award at the International Scorrano Sand Nativity Event in Leece, Italy.
Notable Sudarsan Pattnaik Sand Art
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik aims to bring awareness to social and environmental issues through. At times, he also makes sand art on topical issues. Some of the notable examples entail the following.
World Egg Day
World Egg Day is observed on 13 October annually. To spread awareness about the nutritional benefits of eggs, he fashioned a sand art installation featuring three eggs and a hen. The message reads – “World Egg Day”.
G20 Sand Art
Sudarsan Pattnaik made a sand sculpture featuring the logo and tagline of the 2023 G20 Summit held in India. He unveiled his creation at the 2022 International Sand Art Festival, Konark, Odisha. He was accompanied by several of his students and finished the sculpture in two days.
Ganesh Chaturthi Sand Art
To celebrate the 2023 Ganesh Chaturthi, Sudarsan Pattnaik built a sand sculpture featuring the effigy of Lord Ganesha. This sculpture features over 1,000 steel items weighing a whopping 100 kg, including numerous steel bowls & plates placed strategically. The message of this creation was simple – ‘World Peace’.
Celebrating Modi Ji
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 73rd birthday, Sudarsan Pattnaik wished him with his own flair. He built him a sand installation with 50 Konark wheels. He also included an effigy of Lord Vishwakarma beside him. It reads, “Happy Birthday Modi Ji”.
Photo Courtesy: Odisha News Times
Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik Creates Sand Art to Celebrate Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha| Watch
