Padma Shri-winning sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has crafted an 8-foot sand sculpture on Puri Beach to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to Odisha on Sunday, 26 October 2025. The artwork weaves together the state's classical cultural identity with India's expanding digital infrastructure, spotlighting PM Modi's forthcoming inauguration of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar.

What the Sculpture Depicts

The creation features the iconic Konark Wheel — one of Odisha's most enduring architectural symbols — alongside a sand rendering evoking the RBI's new Data Centre. Pattnaik has described the composition as a deliberate effort to link the state's ancient heritage with India's 21st-century push for secure financial technology infrastructure.

Speaking about his work, Pattnaik said, 'Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji is coming to Odisha, and in Odisha, the RBI's Data Centre will be inaugurated. It will be a matter of pride for Odisha that RBI's second Data Centre has been set up in Odisha, and our renowned Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji will inaugurate it. Today, as an artist, I have created sand sculptures on Puri Beach through our art, in which I have created the Konark Wheel and, along with that, recreated the effect of the Data Centre through sand.'

About the RBI Data Centre in Bhubaneswar

According to an official statement, the RBI Data Centre has been engineered to deliver a secure, resilient, scalable and future-ready computing ecosystem for the central bank and India's broader financial sector. Four state-of-the-art data centres within the facility will host mission-critical Payment and Settlement systems, along with other flagship RBI initiatives.

Notably, the facility has received certification to the Uptime Institute's Tier IV standard — the globally recognised benchmark for the highest level of data centre operational resilience. It is also reportedly among the largest Tier IV-certified facilities in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector worldwide, placing India's central bank infrastructure at par with the world's most robust financial data operations.

Cybersecurity Training Institute: A New Capability Hub

Alongside the Data Centre, the Cybersecurity Training Institute is set to function as a dedicated platform for cybersecurity research, enterprise-technology training, and capability development across India's financial sector. Its curriculum will cover frontier technologies including quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI), positioning Bhubaneswar as an emerging node in India's financial technology ecosystem.

The twin facilities are expected to improve the reach, efficiency and reliability of digital financial services across the country, while further strengthening the RBI's standing among global central banks on digital infrastructure.

Significance for Odisha

The choice of Bhubaneswar for the RBI's second Data Centre carries considerable significance for Odisha, which has steadily positioned itself as a destination for large-scale technology investment. This comes amid a broader national push to decentralise critical financial infrastructure beyond traditional metro hubs and build redundancy into the country's payment systems. Pattnaik's tribute at Puri Beach underscores the cultural resonance of the development for the state.

PM Modi's Odisha visit on Sunday is expected to mark a landmark moment for both India's financial technology ambitions and the state's growing profile in the country's digital economy.