Puri: Renowned sand artist Padma Shri Sudarshan Pattnaik marked World Tiger Day on Tuesday with a stunning sand sculpture on Puri beach in Odisha, drawing large crowds of tourists. Created in collaboration with WWF-India, the artwork aimed to raise awareness about tiger conservation and the need to protect ecological balance.
The sand art made on this year's theme, "India Strides with the Stripes", featured a majestic 20-foot-long tiger alongside 50 smaller tigers, all sculpted using nearly 10 tonnes of sand. Pattnaik and his team completed the artwork in just over three hours.
The initiative, supported by the Forest Department Office (DFO), attracted a significant crowd at Puri Beach, turning the celebration into a visual and educational experience. World Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 every year to promote global efforts to protect the endangered species.
