Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates sand sculpture to pay tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Puri (Odisha) [India], December 26 (ANI): Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on Thursday created a sand sculpture to pay tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 101st birth anniversary.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other senior BJP leaders paid floral tribute to the former PM at the 'Sadaiv Atal' memorial in Delhi on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to former PM and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 101st birth anniversary on Thursday, describing him as a statesman whose conduct, dignity and unwavering commitment to national interest set a benchmark for Indian politics.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said Atal Ji's life continues to inspire the nation, noting that leadership is defined not by position but by conduct.
Quoting a Sanskrit subhashita, PM Modi underlined that the actions of great leaders guide society, an aspect he said was reflected throughout Vajpayee's public life.
"The birth anniversary of the esteemed Atal Ji is a special occasion for all of us to draw inspiration from his life. His conduct, dignity, ideological steadfastness, and resolve to place the nation's interest above all serve as an ideal standard for Indian politics. Through his life, he demonstrated that excellence is established not by position, but by conduct, and it is that which guides society", PM Modi wrote in his tweet.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and took the oath of office as prime minister three times. He was the face of the BJP for decades and the first non-Congress prime minister to serve a full term.
Vajpayee first served as prime minister for 13 days from May 16 to June 1 in 1996, then for 13 months from March 1998 to April 1999, and finally for a full term from 1999 to 2004.
He also served as India's External Affairs Minister in Prime Minister Moraji Desai's cabinet from 1977 to 1979. He passed away at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi on August 16, 2018. (ANI)