Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates 8-foot sculpture at Puri Beach to welcome PM Modi ahead of his Odisha visit

Puri: Renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has created an 8-foot sand sculpture at Puri Beach to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to Odisha on Sunday.

The artwork combines elements of Odisha’s rich cultural heritage with a representation of India’s advancing digital infrastructure, highlighting the inauguration of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar.

The sand sculpture features the iconic Konark Wheel, a symbol closely associated with Odisha’s architectural and cultural legacy, alongside a recreation representing the RBI’s Data Centre. Through the artwork, Pattnaik has sought to connect the state’s cultural identity with India’s growing focus on secure digital infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Speaking to IANS about the sculpture, Sudarsan Pattnaik said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is coming to Odisha, and in Odisha, the RBI’s Data Centre will be inaugurated. It will be a matter of pride for Odisha that RBI’s second Data Centre has been set up in Odisha, and our renowned Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji will inaugurate it. Today, as an artist, I have created sand sculptures on Puri Beach through our art, in which I have created the Konark Wheel and, along with that, recreated the effect of the Data Centre through sand.”

The sculpture comes ahead of the Prime Minister’s scheduled visit to Odisha on Sunday, during which he is set to inaugurate the RBI’s Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar.

The facilities are intended to strengthen the technological foundations of India’s financial system and support the growing requirements of digital banking and financial services.

According to an official statement, the Data Centre has been designed to provide the RBI and the wider financial sector with a secure, resilient, scalable and future-ready computing ecosystem. Four state-of-the-art data centres will host mission-critical Payment and Settlement systems, along with other flagship initiatives.

The facility has received certification to the Uptime Institute’s Tier IV standard, a global benchmark for data centre infrastructure, placing it in the highest tier of operational resilience. It is also among the largest Tier IV-certified facilities in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector worldwide.

The facility is expected to contribute to improving the reach, efficiency and reliability of digital financial services. It will provide a secure digital foundation for India’s increasingly technology-driven financial economy and further strengthen the RBI’s position in digital infrastructure among central banks.

The Cybersecurity Training Institute will serve as a dedicated platform for cybersecurity and enterprise-technology training, research and capability development across the financial sector. Its focus areas will include emerging technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence, alongside other frontier technologies relevant to the BFSI sector.

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