BHUBANESWAR: Celebrated sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has been awarded the golden sand master award along with a gold medal at the International sand sculpture championship in St. Petersburg, Russia. Pattnaik was the sole participant representing India at the event.
For the championship, Pattnaik crafted a 12-foot tall sand chariot of Lord Jagannath accompanied by his devotee and poet Balaram Das.”The Rath Yatra is going on at Puri. So with the blessings of Mahaprabhu I have created a sand chariot of Mahaprabhu Jagannath during this festival,” Pattnaik explained.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi extended his congratulations to Sudarsan for his achievement. Majhi emphasized that Sudarsan’s gold medal win at the international event has brought pride to both Odisha and India.
Padma awardee Sudarsan has participated in over 65 international sand art championships and festivals worldwide. He has secured numerous prizes for the country throughout his career spanning over decades.