Puri (Odisha): Amid reports about violence against Hindus in Bangladesh during the power transition following ouster of Sheikh Hasina, Odisha’s sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has appealed for peace in the neighbouring country in signature style – by making a sand sculpture at the Puri beach.
“My humble appeal to stop the religious atrocities in Bangladesh,” he wrote on his X account.
Pattnaik has depicted bloodshed with images of temples smeared with blood and a human face with hands spread out as if crying for help.
Speaking to ETV Bharat about his latest art work, Patnaik said that the biggest message in the world was peace and asked for peace in Bangladesh. He said that the attack on religious minorities in Bangladesh was condemnable.
“I condemn attack on religious grounds. We can achieve anything through peace,” he said.
The sand art has the message ‘let peace prevail’ written in the backdrop, while the message in the front reads ‘STOP religious attacks.’
PK Raju, a tourist who came to see Patnaik's latest art work said that the attack on religious minorities in Bangladesh was condemnable.
“I trembled with fear after seeing the images of attacks on religious minorities,” he said.
Recently, a leading civil society group wrote an open letter to voice their concern about the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. The group including authors and other intellectuals urged the Indian parliament to pass a unanimous resolution condemning "this wave of communal violence".
