International Yoga Day: Sudarsan Pattnaik creates 7-foot sand sculpture of PM Modi, watch video

Ahead of International Yoga Day, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a 7-foot sand sculpture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi doing yoga at a beach in Puri. Based on the yoga practice of Surya Namaskar, the sculpture used around six tonnes of sand and shows PM Modi performing exercises by donning an Assamese Gamosa and a white kurta. In the video shared by ANI, Patnaik along with his students can be seen making the art which is spread over 3500 sqft. At the centre, vibrant colours were used to write Surya Namaskar along with the different postures of the yoga.

#WATCH उड़ीसा: अंतर्राष्ट्रीय योग दिवस की पूर्व संध्या पर प्रसिद्ध रेत कलाकार सुदर्शन पटनायक ने पुरी में प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी की रेत कला बनाई। pic.twitter.com/W73ERh11oh

— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) June 20, 2022

The artist himself shared the picture on Twitter and wrote, “#InternationalYogaDay : #SuryaNamaskara My SandArt at Puri beach in Odisha on the occasion of #YogaDay , #YogaForHumanity  #IDY2022.”

#InternationalYogaDay : #SuryaNamaskara My SandArt at Puri beach in Odisha on the occasion of #YogaDay   .#YogaForHumanity #IDY2022 pic.twitter.com/uDMgGJUSl3

— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) June 20, 2022

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India has been celebrating International Yoga Day since 2015 after the UN General Assembly declared 21 June as the International Day of Yoga. The idea for the celebration was conceived by PM Modi in 2014. The theme for the celebration this year is “Yoga for humanity”, keeping in mind the important role played by yoga in the COVID-19 pandemic. Sudarshan Pattnaik has represented India in more than 65 international sand art championships and has won many prizes. The talented artist uses his talent to create awareness on different social issues like cleanliness, road safety, and environment conservation. Pattnaik is known for making beautiful and contemporarily relevant sand art on current issues and events around the world. During the pandemic, his campaigns through sand art received appreciation by the WHO. While speaking to an Odia daily, Patnaik said that he has been performing yoga for the last 10 years and claimed that it helps to keep the body fit and also brings mental peace. Pattnaik also has a sand art school at Puri beach in Odisha where he teaches students to build their careers in this field.