Puri, June 26 -- Renowned sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik on Thursday created a powerful sand sculpture on Puri beach in Odisha to mark International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Below the sculpture, "Say NO to addiction, YES to life" was written. Through his art, Pattnaik aimed to highlight the devastating effects of drugs on individuals.

Pattnaik's informed that the state is running a campaign called "Nisha Nuhin Jeevan" (Life Without Addiction), which aims to educate people about the risks associated with substance abuse.

Speaking to ANI, Pattnaik said, "We artists try to spread awareness among people through our art by creating sand sculptures. Apart from this, our state is running a 'Nisha N...