Jackson gets sandy tribute in Orissa on birthday

Bhubaneswar, Aug 29 (IANS) A sand image of Michael Jackson's face and a 15-foot long guitar has been sculpted on Orissa's Puri beach by sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik as a tribute to the 'King of Pop' on his 51st birthday Saturday.

'I am a fan of Jackson. We created this image to pay a tribute to him on his birthday,' Patnaik said.

Patnaik made the sand image of the late pop legend late Friday along with students of his Golden Sand Art Institute on Puri beach, over 50 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.

Jackson, who weaved musical magic with his songs and performances, died June 25 in his Los Angeles home, leaving millions of his fans shocked.

Patnaik, who has participated in around 40 international sand sculpture championships and has won many awards, said 10 tonnes of sand was used to create the work of art.

He said it took him about five hours to create the image of the 'ultimate entertainer'.