Gandhi statue in chocolate, a frosting on the cake

Tourists and residents have found a new ‘sweet spot’ to take their selfies in the town, a 300-kg heavy chocolate model of the Father of the Nation.

In continuing with its tradition of artistic interpretations of chocolate, Zuka, Puducherry’s speciality chocolate boutique, has unveiled its latest creation of the bespectacled Mahatma Gandhi.

Created by their in-house chef Rajendran, the model is 5 feet 9 inches tall and was made in 18 days.

In July Zuka made a 50-kg chocolate Mickey Mouse which was 120 cm tall. The team at Zuka has also previously made a chocolate cricket kit, a chocolate Statue of Liberty, a chocolate vintage train and real-size chocolate footballs for the World Cup.

“We have never been able to honour an Indian person in chocolate yet, so we thought of Mahatma Gandhi. We found that a chocolate model of Gandhi had not been done before. With the Republic Day coming up and this year being the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa, we thought this would be the right time for this,” says Srinath Balachandran, owner of Zuka. He says visitors have appreciated the intricate detailing, whether it is the spectacles, the sandals or the walking stick, so much so that some have asked staff whether the model is really made of chocolate.

Chef Rajendran used photographs from different angles for this creation, says Mr. Balachandran.

The edible chocolate which has gone into the model’s making has in fact been reprocessed from the chocolate used for the Mickey Mouse model.

The chocolate model will be displayed at Zuka for another two to three weeks, giving ample time for visitors to take number of selfies with the sweet Mahatma.