Pattnaik creates sand sculpture to popularize Earth Hour

Puri, March 27 (ANI): Noted sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik has carved out a sculpture on the Puri Beach to create public awareness about Earth Hour in Orissa and to prompt people to switch off their lights and electrical appliances for an hour on March 27.

The creation has been on view since Friday (March 26).

The eye-catching sculpture measures 7' in height and shows a globe and scores of candles within a city alongside a message 'Save Power, Save Earth'.

"We want to appeal to all the sectors ranging from corporate to all private sectors and to every citizen, to switch off their lights for one hour. We want to cerate awareness campaign about turning off the lights for one hour, as saving power is very necessary for the cause of climate change," said Sudarshan Pattnaik.

Around 10 tonnes of sand was scooped and used to create this sculpture and it was completed in about eight hours.

Pattnaik has created a series of sculptures on the issue of global warming in the past as well.

The sand sculpture by Sudarshan Pattnaik and his team of students has been a draw for the locals as well as the tourists frequenting the sprawling Puri beach.

"It is a beautiful sand sculpture and its gives the message within the hands all around the world. People will save power for one minute (corrected: one hour) on this night and it'll be good for the environment and good for the future as well for the next generation," said Finnery, a foreign tourist.

Earth Hour is a concept initiated by World Wide Fund (WWF) and is observed annually by almost all the major cities around the world on the last Saturday of March as a medium to pledge support for protecting the environment.

This year the Earth Hour is to be observed on March 27 between 8.30-9.30 PM (IST).

Reportedly, at least 15 cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, have pledged their support to the campaign in India.

As per WWF, about five million people in India last year switched off lights and electrical appliances during Earth Hour in 2009.

Global landmarks such as the Marine Drive known as Queen's Necklace in Mumbai, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome's Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard at the Times Square were among those which observed darkness during the Earth Hour last year. By Sarada Lahangir (ANI)