A girl belonging to Odisha's Rourkela found mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' on Sunday for the artwork she has done to promote cloth-based scroll paintings 'Pattachitra', which is widely practised in the state.

During his monthly radio programme, Prime Minister Modi took note of Bhagyashree Sahu and praised her for popularising the traditional art form, which is native to Odisha and West Bengal.

"Take the example of Bhagyashree Sahu of Rourkela, Odhisa. An engineering student, she started learning Pattachitra painting in the last few months and mastered it. But do you know, where did she paint? En route to college, she collected these soft stones and cleaned them. Later, for two hours daily, she painted these stones with Pattachitra style. She started gifting the painted stones to her friends," Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi also revealed how during the lockdown, Bhagyashree started painting on the bottles and she started to organize workshops on 'Pattachitra' art.

Modi further stated that "A few days back, Bhagyashree paid a unique tribute to Subhash Babu (Subhash Chandra Bose) on his birth anniversary, through these paintings. I wish her all the best in their future endeavours. Many new things can be learned and done through arts and colours."

Reacting to PM Modi's address, Bhagysree expressed gratitude for the honour.

"I developed an interest in this after visiting Raghurajpur in Puri. I then honed stone art during the lockdown. It's an honour to be mentioned by him," Bhagysree said.

Addressing the 73rd episode of 'Mann ki Baat', PM Modi also appreciated a differently-abled elderly man from Kerala for his contribution towards cleanliness.