Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik creates five-feet-high sand sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi with his possessions at Puri Beach in Orissa on Sunday.

The ongoing controversy over Gandhi’s memorabilia has sparked off creativity in the internationally acclaimed sand sculptor Sudarshan Patnaik.

On the shores of the Bay of Bengal in his home town of Puri, Patnaik has sculpted a five-foot high sand sculpture of the Mahatma with images of his possessions like the pocket watch, spectacles, sandals and a bowl as an appeal to end the controversy.

“I was shocked to learn about the controversies over his possessions. The Father of the Nation never considered anything as his personal and had announced that if anything treated personal should be the property of the Navjiban Trust. Hence there should not be any debate over his memorabilia,” opined the master artist.

He had won 2005 world sand art championship by sculpting Gandhi with his three monkeys.

“Non possession, Non stealing”, reads the message on the sculpture that Patnaik and his students have crafted using five tonnes of sand.

Patnaik has so far participated in more than 37 international sand sculpture championships across the world and has won many laurels for the nation.

Quite fond of sending messages for world peace and harmony through his art, any major national and international incident inspires him to appeal to the people.