Sudarsan Pattnaik creates sand art praying for rescue of workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel

Puri (Odisha) [India], November 22 : Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand art at Puri beach here dedicated to the safety and rescue of the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel at Uttarkashi with the message "Let the light of prayers take away the darkness."
Pattnaik created a 5ft sand sculpture showing a tunnel where workers are trapped. He has used about 4 tons of sand in it. Students of his sand art institute joined hands with him to complete the sculpture on Tuesday.

"We are praying to Mahaprabhu Jagannath to take away the darkness and rescue the workers safely", Sudarsan told ANI.
Padma-awarded artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has participated in more than 65 International sand art competitions and festivals around the world and won many prizes for the country. He always tries to spread awareness message through his sand sculpture. He created awareness sculptures for HIV/AIDS, saving the environment, plastic pollution, global warming and against terrorism etc.
Earlier Tuesday, in a significant development, the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel at Uttarkashi received some amount of relief as some of the workers spoke to their relatives for the first time after being stuck in the tunnel for 10 days.
In a major breakthrough in the ongoing rescue efforts, officials successfully developed communication with the trapped workers through the 6-inch pipeline on Tuesday morning.
One of the trapped workers, Jaidev, while speaking to the supervisor at the tunnel collapse site, said in Bangla, "Please record, I will tell something to my maa. Maa, tension koroni aami thik achi. Time a kheye nebe. Babakeo time a kheye nite bolbe (Mother, do not worry about me, I am fine. Please you and father eat your meals on time)."
Some of the other trapped workers also established contact with their relatives, and despite being trapped in the tunnel for 10 days, they displayed an unexceptional level of patience and courage as they asked their relatives to not worry about them.
Meanwhile, International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association president Arnold Dix who is currently overseeing the ongoing rescue efforts at the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse site said that works were being done to get the 6-inch pipeline fully functional.
Arnold Dix said, "The lifeline 6-inch pipeline has been inserted and works are being done to make it fully functional. Works are being done for the auguring of the evacuation tunnel which is being drilled as well. Works are also in progress to create safe places within the tunnel. This is an extremely dangerous environment. We are making it safe for the rescuers there as well. Auguring requires very precise engineering."
The collapse occurred on November 12 during the construction of a tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot, trapping 41 labourers due to a muck fall in a 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel. The workers are believed to be trapped in a 2 km-built tunnel portion, which is complete with concrete work that provides safety to the workers. This portion of the tunnel has access to electricity and water.