by Manpreet Singh

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) : Ahead of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup inaugural ceremony, eminent sand artist Padma Sri Sudarsan Patnaik sculptured World’s largest hockey stick on the banks of Mahanadi River at Cuttack, where the ‘celebration’ event is scheduled for on 11 January to mark the opening of the mega hockey event starting 13th January at Bhubaneswar-Rourkela.

Sudarshan Pattnaik created a 105-feet long hockey stick, using 5000 hockey balls. The sand artist used over five tonnes of sand for the sculpture which also showcases the newly built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
Having taken two days to complete this incredible art installation, Sudarshan Pattnaik has once again showcased the passion Odisha has for the national sport. He said, “There is a festive atmosphere in every village you travel to in Odisha because of the World Cup. It is a very special event for the people of Odisha and there are celebrations everywhere. To welcome everyone to this beautiful state, we wanted to create something unique this time, that’s why we thought of using hockey balls and create this installation.”

It took Sudarshan and his team of 15 students two full days to complete the installation and it will be up for display all of 11th January when thousands will throng the Barabati Stadium to catch a glimpse of Bollywood stars who will perform during the opening ceremony.

 “During the previous World Cup, we had installed sand art at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium and the art work depicted the major monuments of Odisha like Konark. This time we have used the installation to welcome all the 16 participating teams to Odisha and we have created 16 national flags in the installation,” added an elated Pattnaik about this unique creation.