Noted sand artist creates giant Santa Claus sculpture at Odisha beach

A giant 27-foot sand and tomato Santa Claus installation crafted by well-known sculptor Sudarsan Pattnaik rang in the Christmas cheer in Odisha on Sunday, as revellers flocked to the Gopalpur beach to get a glimpse of the artwork.

Pattnaik claimed his creation is the world’s biggest tomato and sand installation of Santa Claus, which weighs 1.5 tonnes and is 60-feet wide.

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The Padma Shri awardee said he completed the sculpture at the Gopalpur beach in Ganjam district with the help of 15 of his students.

“#TomatoSanta world's biggest Tomato with Sand #SantaClause installation,” he said in a tweet.

“We have set records earlier, too, during Christmas by creating the biggest Santa Claus using different mediums. This time, we have used sand and tomato,” Pattnaik, 45, later told reporters.

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The internationally acclaimed artist has been making sand sculptures based on a variety of themes over the years.

Earlier this month, Pattnaik had created the logo of India’s G20 presidency on sand, after India officially took over the chair of the grouping in November.

In December 2020, he had a crafted a giant three-dimensional sand installation of two Santas holding a mask, bearing the message of wearing masks in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2014 for his immense contribution to art.