Bhubaneswar, March 3: Young sculptor Sudam Pradhan won the hearts of holiday-makers in Goa, where he recently showcased a huge sand art creation.

The youngster also conducted a workshop on sand sculpture for the art lovers there.

At the famous Colva beach of Goa, Sudam made an 18-feet castle and placed the figures of male and female angels at the bottom of his work. The minute details of his carving on sand pulled viewers from across the world present at the beach. They were seen taking pictures on their mobile phones and cameras, apart from interacting with the Odia artiste.

The Ravindra Bhavan Margao and Lokmanya Society hosted the sand art exhibition for Sudam. A weeklong workshop on sand art and sand animation was also hosted where Sudam taught 50 art lovers from Goa from February 23 to March 1.

Hailing from Bargarh, Sudam, who is the son of a farmer, used to try his hand at making sand castles on the Jeera riverbed in his hometown. 'The visitors to the riverbed used to applaud my works and encourage me. Growing up, I dreamt of taking my art to international viewers,' said the artist. He, therefore, left for Puri in 2004 and started working on the beach there.

Tourists would appreciate his work at Puri beach. Between 2005 and 2010, he showcased his work at various fairs and events in Kerala, New Delhi, Calcutta and also in Bhubaneswar. Soon, Sudam received invitations to create sand sculptures in foreign countries such as Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan. 'As I realised my dream, I set up a new goal. I wished to train young students and thus set up my institute,' he said.

Sudam runs a sand art training centre in Japan with the support of the Puri-based India Japan Friendship Centre.

He gives credit to his mentor, Rajendar Sikandar, an eminent artist, for grooming him and helping him achieve success.