Rajasthan Student Gets PhD On Odisha Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik

Bhubaneswar: It was a rare and unique gift for Odisha’s internatinoally acclaimed sand sculptor Sudarsan Pattnaik as a student from Rajasthan has got PhD on him and his creations.

Pattnaik said that the student, Komal Prajapat, has done PhD on him and his sand art from Bhupal Nobles’ University at Udaipur in Rajasthan after over four years of research work.

“A PhD on me and my sandart! I feel humbled. Heartiest congratulations, Komal ji. All my good wishes for your future endeavors,” the renowned artist tweeted.

Prajat visited Puri several times for his research work and also stayed in the seaside pilgrim town for quite some time. “He spent long hours with me to collect information about my sand art for his research work. He visited Puri and our place several times for his thesis,” Pattnaik said.

Stating that it is rare for someone to do PhD on a living artist, Pattnaik said he considers it a unique gift from Prajapat.

Prajapat said in a Twitter post that he felt ecstatic to write about the renowned sand artist and his sand art in his thesis.

Recipient of many awards, Pattnaik has represented India in a large number of sand art festivals abroad. The Padma Shree happens to be the President of Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi.