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OPENING SHOT ||||| THE ARTS<br />
ODISHA’S MOST<br />
FAMOUS SON IS<br />
A SAND ARTIST<br />
FROM PURI<br />
OTHERS BUILD CASTLES in the sand for fun. Sudarsan Pattnaik, 39, has opted for<br />
sand art to showcase social concerns. In the process, he has become the RK<br />
Laxman of Sand Art and Odisha’s most famous face worldwide. The Puri-based<br />
Padamshree recipient and holder of 21 Limca Records is a social influencer with a<br />
star-like following in social media. The fan mails – “no less than 50 every day<br />
which I receive through Twitter, SMS and e-mail” – suggest topics for him to work<br />
on. In the last 21 years, he has created sand sculptures on terrorism, environmental<br />
<strong>issue</strong>s, women empowerment, world peace and religious equality. More recently,<br />
his works on the Syrian child washed ashore and Irom Sharmila ending her<br />
16-year-old fast stood out for their creativity and impact. Pattnaik, who started the<br />
Golden Sand Art Institute at Puri beach in 1994, says, “Appreciation and<br />
involvement of people are the two things that an artist strives on, and for me it’s my<br />
living fuel.”<br />
- Madhulika Dash<br />
28 ||||| SEPTEMBER <strong>2016</strong>
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