Sudarshanâ??s Taj wins Berlin Sand Sculpture championship

NI Wire

New Delhi

Wed, 25 Jul 2007: 

July 25: World famous sand sculptor Sudarshan Patnaik from Orissa won International Sand Sculpture championship held in Berlin. A 15 feet high sand replica o‘Taj Mahal’ won him this year’s prize.

The Taj Mahal replica which took 56 hours in a week will be on display till July 29.

This is not the first time when Sudarshan a resident of Puri represented India in sand sculpture competitions and won. Before this in 2005 too his sand replica of Mahatma Gandhi along with his three monkeys was declared winner in Berlin.

Total 15 artists from 10 countries, Holland, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, Denmark, and Germany participated in the sand event. India was represented by only Sudarshan.

Till yet Sudarshan has participated in more than 32 international sand events and won various prizes for India including Berlin where he is staying to take part in another sand sculpture festival.

A resident of puri he runs an open art school called Golden Sand Art Institute. He is making sand sculptures on Orissa beach for the last 15 years.

In April he was invited to US to build sand sculpture of the Taj Mahal at the Houston International Festival in Texas.

He has made not only the aesthetic use of his art but also made it a medium to spread awareness about various social, health as well as global issues as peace, Polio, and HIV/AIDS. He also provided relief to tsunami victims in India and contributed to the project of saving Olive Ridley Turtles.

He created a unique balance of art for art’s sake and art with a purpose.