Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has reportedly been hospitalised after he fell ill during a hunger strike to protest pollution.
On 10 July, Pattnaik announced that he would sit on a dharna at Puri’s Bankimuhan beach after his request to the Odisha government – seeking measures to save the beach from pollution – was ignored.
The sand artist has been reportedly admitted to a private hospital in Bhubaneshwar.
Pattnaik, an internationally acclaimed artist and a Padmashree awardee, is renowned for his sand sculptures on current affair issues. Commenting on his hunger strike, the district Puri administration said: “efforts are being made to solve the problem”.
BJD MP Baijayant Jay Panda also supported Pattnaik’s initiative on Twitter.
‘Protesting Beach Pollution Through My Art’
In a statement on Twitter on 10 July, Pattnaik said:
I am sitting on dharna through my art against beach pollution at Bankimuhan.
Pattnaik had also created a sand sculpture last month to show the pathetic condition of the beach at Bankimuhana.
Earlier, Pattnaik said that he had sent a message to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik in 2016, in an attempt to draw his attention to how the beach was being ravaged by pollution.
(With PTI inputs)
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