Odisha Sand Artist Extends a Vibrant 'Incredible India' Welcome to BRICS Leaders

Internationally recognised sand artist Manas Kumar Sahoo has created a colourful sand animation in Odisha to welcome world leaders and delegates arriving in India for the 18th BRICS Summit. The summit is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 under India’s 2026 BRICS chairship. Sahoo created the artwork in Puri using a small quantity of sand, showcasing portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The artwork also features Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, which is serving as the venue associated with the summit. Sahoo said the sand animation was conceived as a special artistic greeting for BRICS leaders and delegates visiting India. According to the artist, the entire piece took around eight hours to complete.

Speaking about the creation, Sahoo said he wanted to use his art to convey a warm welcome to representatives from the BRICS nations. He described the project as a matter of pride and said the message behind the artwork was “BRICS leaders, welcome to Incredible India.” The artistic tribute comes as New Delhi steps up preparations for the high-profile diplomatic gathering. Several events linked to the summit are already underway, including the BRICS Business Forum, which is bringing together senior government officials and business representatives from participating countries.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal are among the prominent speakers at the business-focused discussions. Opening the BRICS Business Forum, BRICS Business Council Chair Jai Shroff highlighted four broad priorities for India’s chairship: Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. He said these themes are important not only for governments but also for businesses operating across emerging markets.

Shroff also described BRICS as more than a collection of major economies, pointing to its potential as a wider economic network capable of encouraging collaboration in areas such as manufacturing, technology, investment and business partnerships. The main BRICS Summit programme is scheduled to begin on September 12. Leaders are expected to review India's initiatives under its presidency and discuss ways to expand strategic and economic cooperation among member countries.

The agenda is likely to cover a broad range of issues, including trade, digital technology, financial cooperation, energy security, global governance reforms, supply-chain resilience, cross-border payments, local currencies, MSMEs, digital commerce and artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, Sahoo's sand animation offers a cultural and creative welcome to the visiting leaders, combining Odisha's renowned sand-art tradition with India's role as host of a major international summit.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.