People, Positions and Obituaries · 14 June 2026

Sudarsan Pattnaik wins Russia Grand Sand Master Cup 2026

Exam-focused facts from the 14 June 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

  • Sudarsan Pattnaik, a sand artist from Odisha, became the first Indian to win the Russia Grand Sand Master Cup 2026.
  • The award was presented at the II International Festival of Sand Sculpture in Kaliningrad, Russia, which opened on 11 June 2026.
  • Pattnaik won the cup for a three-metre-tall sculpture based on the theme of global warming.
  • The Government of India honoured Pattnaik with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award, in 2014.
  • Pattnaik set a Guinness World Record in 2017 for the world's tallest sand castle at Puri beach.

View this story in the full daily briefing

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