He comes from where you and I could have given up on our dreams.
At the tender age of 10, life forced him to work as a domestic help at his neighbor’s just so he could afford to fill his stomach. The financial predicaments made sure he dropped out of school when he was studying in the 6th standard.
He had immense passion for painting but no money to afford even a pencil, let alone a canvas. But he definitely had something life couldn’t take away from him – the indomitable passion to create something beautiful.
He would go to the nearby beach and play with sand, quietly pursuing his passion whenever he got a moment – get up at the small hours and head to beach to create something he was passionate about – sand art -and run back to work as a domestic help around 6 AM.
At the age of 18, he was running a betel shop to eke out a living; but his romance with the sand was still intact.
Talent is a strange beast – it knows no limit and will always get a platform to grow on.
Soon, the masterpieces crafted by the 18 year boy started getting due attention and accolades from around the world. As a result, he was cordially invited for the International Sand Festival hosted by London Tourism.
That was his chance to turn things around and make it happen.
Meet the legendary sand artist and pride of Odisha – Padma Shree Sudarsan Pattnaik.

Making of the Docufiction – Dreaming with Sand
Bhubaneswar has many passionate photographers and it’s really heart-warming to see what people intend to create with their tools.
Raj Sampad, the co-founder of Incendiary Films, decided to document the inspiring journey of Sudarshan Pattanaik. And, their team created a beautiful docufiction that deserves a standing ovation.
It’s not surprising to see such a great docufiction has made an official entry into the Sundance Film Festival, one of the largest independent film festivals taking place in Utah, USA.
Here are some pics from behind the scenes.
Image and Video Credit: TheIncendiaryFilms
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