Sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik ended his five-day dharna on Saturday after the Puri administration started cleaning up Bankimuhan beach in Puri. During the protest, Patnaik had to be hospitalised. He spoke to Subhashish Mohanty of The Telegraph about his efforts to make the beach clean.

• You were taken to the hospital. How are you now?

I am yet to recover from weakness. I was discharged from the hospital yesterday. I was admitted to the hospital after I had fainted during the strike.

• Why did you sit on a dharna for cleaning up the Bankimuhan beach?

I have visited a number of beaches across the world and I can bet Puri is one of the best. I make sand art here. Many foreign tourists, who come to see the art, asked me why I didn't raise the issue of pollution with the local administration. Last year, I had tweeted about the issue to the chief minister who directed district administration to take up the cause.

Last month, I tweeted to the chief minister that I would sit on a dharna if the administration failed to take up the issue. The chief minister's office requested me not to resort to dharna. I waited. But since nothing happened, I went for it.

• Why is the Bankimuhan polluted so much?

Before answering the question I want to tell you about the significance of this part of the beach. According to the Jagannath cult, a log from the Gujarat coast floated up here. From that wood, the first carpenter of this world, lord Biswakarma, carved out lord Jagannath and his siblings.

According to history, celebrated 16th century poet Balaram Das was once humiliated by the servitors and not allowed near the chariots during rath yatra. He went to the beach and sculpted lofty chariots on the sand with the deities placed inside. Later, the King of Puri Prataprudra Deb turned up and apologised and the chariots started rolling.

• But what happened now?

The drain water and sewage of Puri goes into the sea through the Banki Muhan beach. Earlier, there was a huge net that screened all the pollutants. There was even a sewage treatment plant. There has been no net for the past one year and the sewage treatment plant is defunct. The cleaning of the beach requires huge manpower and machinery. As the administration did not wake up, I was forced to take up the issue.

• Did your protest have any impact?

Certainly. You compare the two photographs - the beaches prior to my strike and now.

The situation would not have turned so bad had the district administration intervened earlier.

At least, now, they have engaged people to clean it. The administration has also floated a tender to set up a sewage treatment plant.

• Some people are saying that you want to join politics and that's the reason you are raising these issues...

Why should I? I have got fame because of my sand art. I have grown up playing on the beach, which is like a mother to me. I cannot tolerate this pollution. I am raising these issues for a bigger cause. Because of this, I have already earned the wrath of certain sections of people. Now, I am even facing life threat.

• Do you have any regrets?

The only regret is that even though I was hospitalised, the Puri district administration did not even call or inquire about me. Leaders cutting across party lines, including health minister Pratap Jena, and a BJP delegation led by Samir Mohanty met me. Perhaps the district administration thinks that I am working against them.