Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik carves world's largest hockey stick

Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik and his team carved the world's biggest hockey stick on the banks of Odisha's Mahanadi river. The majestic piece has been built to welcome the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 teams, which will begin on January 13. Being in news for making sand art globally popular, Sudarsan Pattnaik this time chose to create a 105-feet long hockey stick, using 5,000 hockey balls. The sand artist used over five tonnes of sand for the sculpture, which also showcases the newly built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. Having taken two days to complete this incredible art installation, Sudarsan Pattnaik has once again showcased the passion Odisha has for the national sport. He said, "There is a festive atmosphere in every village you travel to in Odisha because of the World Cup. It is a very special event for the people of Odisha and there are celebrations everywhere. To welcome everyone to this beautiful state, we wanted to create something unique this time, that's why we thought of using hockey balls and creating this installation." It took Sudarsan and his team of 15 students two full days to complete the installation and it will be up for display on January 11 when thousands will throng the Barabati Stadium to catch a glimpse of Bollywood stars, who will perform during the opening ceremony. The sand artist has also been awarded Padma Shri in 2014, for his participation in a globally renowned sand art competition. Till now, Sudarsan Pattnaik has participated in more than 60 international sand art championships as well as festivals. He has not only represented India in such competitions, but also won several prizes for the country. It is worth mentioning that the artist uses his creative expression to spread a social message every time.