Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik's artworks adorn venue of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], January 8 (ANI): Renowned Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik's artworks adorn the venue of the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas which began here on Wednesday.
Sudarsan Pattnaik's sand artworks include the depiction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in folded hands along with Lord Jagannath.
"It's a fortune that Odisha is hosting the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Wherever I visited in the world, people used to ask me about Jagannath temple and also about the art & culture of Odisha. Now, people are coming here and they will witness it by themselves," Sudarsan Pattnaik told ANI.
"Different arts and projects are being showcased, my sand art will also be showcased. It's PM Modi's idea to organise this event in this state and hence I made a sand art of him and Jagannath Prabhu," He added.
Haider Amaan, a poet from Dubai, says, "It's a good initiative by the govt of India. We are the permanent ambassadors of India and we promote the country in continuity... It's a family reunion and the sons of Bharat Mata from different parts of the world will come and meet..."
Over 3,000 delegates from 70 countries have arrived in Odisha for the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
One of the delegates Haider Amaan who came from Dubai termed the event a family reunion.
"It's a good initiative by the govt of India. We are the permanent ambassadors of India and we promote the country in continuity... It's a family reunion and the sons of Bharat Mata from different parts of the world will come and meet," he said.
The three-day event, based on the theme "Diaspora's contribution to a Viksit Bharat", will be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the second day of the convention.
Christine Carla Kangaloo, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, will be the chief guest of the 18th PBD, and she will be virtually addressing the convention.
Meanwhile, at the event, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the pivotal role of India's younger generation in driving global developments.
Reflecting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's connection with the youth, Jaishankar shared a memory of Indian badminton player P V Sindhu.
He recalled her saying, "I still recall some time ago an observation by a famous Indian badminton player PV Sindhu on why PM Modi is a youth icon. She summed it up as his attitude which moved the nation from 'chalta hai' to 'badal sakta hai' to 'hoga kaise nahi.'"
Jaishankar emphasised that the younger generations are shaping significant global changes, including innovations in AI, electric vehicles (EVs), startups, and even sports like cricket and chess.
He added, "At a time when so many key developments in the world are being shaped by the younger generations - whether we talk of AI or EV, innovation or startups, cricket, chess or any sports - at home we have just started our journey of Viksit Bharat in the Amrit Kaal... While development itself is a very complex task - but it becomes easier when we are confident that nothing is beyond us." (ANI)