Puri, June 15: Internationally acclaimed sand artist and Padma Shri Awardee Sudarshan Pattnaik on Saturday crafted a heartfelt sand sculpture on Puri Beach in Odisha and paid tributes to the victims of the horrific Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The artwork featured a poignant message "Never Again", symbolizing a collective call for safer skies and paying tribute to the lives tragically lost in the tragedy.
The sand sculpture also depicted the Air India plane and the hostel buildings, portraying the crash in a strikingly realistic manner.
The tribute has garnered considerable attention from both tourists and locals, who gathered at the site to offer prayers and express their condolences.
Pattnaik took to his official ‘X’ handle and shared the picture of the sand art with the caption, “Never Again” — two words that say it all. A heartfelt tribute to the innocent lives lost in this tragedy. 🙏 #NeverAgain #AhmedabadPlaneCrash.”
“Art can express what words cannot. This is not just a tribute, but a message to everyone — such a tragic loss should never happen again. The sand sculpture serves as both a memorial and a reminder for us all to reflect, take responsibility, and show compassion in times of tragedy,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that an Air India flight bound for London crashed in Gujarat's Meghani area shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday (June 12).
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board. It crashed around five minutes after take-off in a crowded area near Ahmedabad airport.
The death toll from the tragedy has reached 270, as some of the people injured on the ground have died from their injuries. Out of the 242 passengers on the doomed plane, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British citizen, was the lone survivor who escaped the mishap with only minor injuries.
