Bhubaneswar: In a moving gesture that blends art with national pride, internationally acclaimed sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a special sand sculpture on Puri Beach in Odisha to honour Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot whose extraordinary courage saved 174 lives aboard a Flydubai flight.
The intricate sand artwork carries a clear and emotional message: “Salute to #CaptainSmitMachchhar — Get Well Soon!”
Through this creation, Pattnaik has expressed the collective admiration and prayers of people across India and beyond for the pilot who risked everything to protect others.
Sharing the sculpture on social media, Pattnaik wrote a heartfelt tribute: “A heartfelt salute to Captain Smit Machchhar for his exceptional courage, selfless sacrifice, and unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. Praying for his speedy recovery, renewed strength, and good health. His extraordinary bravery has touched hearts across the world, from India and Israel to the UAE. Through my sand art at Puri Beach, Odisha, I share this heartfelt message: Salute to #CaptainSmitMachchhar — Get Well Soon!”
Speaking later, the renowned artist added that the entire world is saluting the captain for risking his own life to save others. As Indians, we feel immense pride today. As artists, we salute him through our art and pray to God for his quick recovery.
It is pertinent to mention that Machchhar, a Mumbai-based pilot with roots in Gujarat and nearly 9,750 hours of flying experience (mostly on Boeing 737 aircraft), had earlier served for over a decade with SpiceJet, rising to the position of Line Training Captain before joining Flydubai in 2022 as a direct-entry captain.
