Seeing The World In A Grain Of Sand

Born to a poor family in Odisha, Sudarsan Pattnaik did not get an opportunity to study. As his house was located near the famous Puri beach in Odisha, he whiled away his time drawing images in the sand. Soon he started creating sand art at the beach of Puri. These arts were widely appreciated and eventually, he became popular not only in India but throughout the world making exceptional sand sculptures and breaking records. This self-taught sand artist has participated in many national and international sand art competitions and as of date, has won 27 international competitions. Having become proficient in his art, he founded the 'Sudarsan Sand Art Institute' to educate the youth in sand art. He has even written a book on sand art.  Sudarsan Pattnaik uses his art to spread social awareness among the people. He has made beautiful sand sculptures to spread messages regarding global warming, dangers of tobacco, Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, world peace, cricket and many more like famous festivals, national integrity and religious tolerance. He has made more than hundred sand arts and his Golden Sand Art Institute is first of its kind in India. Pattnaik’s sand sculpture on Black Taj Mahal has earned him accolades all over the world. This year, in February  he created a Guinness World Record by building the world’s tallest sand castle measuring  48 feet and 8 inch (14.84 metre) at the Puri beach in Odisha. He broke the previous record of 45 feet and 10 inch sand castle which was created in USA. The sand sculpture was built with theme of World Peace. Pattnaik and his 45 students worked over a period of 9 days to complete the magnificent, record breaking sand sculpture. He is famously known to depict the religious, political and social issues in his creations which attracts people across countries from various traditions. He is also known for his creation of 1000 Santa Claus Sculptures. The recognition and awards that he has won for his art is endless.  In 2014, he was conferred the nation’s fourth civilian honour, the Padma Shri. Among the innumerable awards, he has also won the People Choice Award and Young Indian Leadership Award, Bharat Jyoti, National Tourism Award and many more. Currently, Sudarshan Pattnaik has been roped in by the Odisha government to create a sand sculpture to provide a glimpse of Odisha’s rich art and culture to players and spectators at the Barabati Stadium during the T20 match on December 20. He is thrilled by this opportunity as it is the first time that he is creating sand art for a international cricket match in his own state. May he win more recognition and accolades that will motivate him to achieve new milestones and make India proud, like he has done before on many occasions.