New Delhi: Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik bags gold medal at World Sand Art Championship
Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik today won gold medal in an international sand art championship in Russia. His sand art – Mahatma Gandhi sculpture for non-violence and peace – in the contest made him win.
“I have won gold medal in the championship. It is a proud moment for me,” Pattnaik said from Moscow.
Pattnaik emerged as the gold medal winner at the World Sand Art Championship that was held in Bulgaria from May 26 to June 3, 2016. Titled Drugs kill Sports, Pattnaik’s sand art highlights the issue of drugs in the sporting field.
“I am very happy that my sand art got the gold medal. I have created the two faces — one is of Lance Armstrong and another is Maria Sharapova, the two iconic players who were mired in the drug controversy, thus bringing bad name for themselves and the entire sports world,” IANS s Pattnaik saying.
The week-long sand sculpture competition which had started on April 21 at Kolomenskoye, Moscow saw the participation of twenty top sculptors from across the world. He has participated in more than 50 international sand sculpture championships across the world and won many awards for the country.
He has also got the fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri in 2014. Pattnaik runs a sand art school at Puri beach in Odisha.