The annual cake exhibition at Christmas time in Karnataka's capital Bengaluru is usually a big draw among locals, with thousands turning up to admire the fully edible larger-than-life characters and sceneries made with sugar, spice and all things nice.
This year, however, is different.
The coronavirus pandemic has cut the number of visitors, who are only being allowed entry after basic screening and with masks. Just in case someone forgets about COVID-19, there are safety posters aplenty, and even a sugar model of the “spikey” virus that has upended life globally.
Cake designer Samuel J Ramachandran and his team of “elves” worked tirelessly for four months to bring the exhibition to life.
On display, besides a mask-wearing novel coronavirus, are the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the iconic scene of Rafiki lifting a newborn Simba from the Lion King.
Cake designer Samuel J Ramachandran's favourite is the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
“There are 22 models including the centrepieces. We started work in August end. It took us almost four months of continuous work (to make all the cakes). We started with 1,000 kg of sugar and kept adding more and more as the months went on. We ended up using about 3,000 kg,” Mr Ramachandran told NDTV.
“My favourite is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The challenge was we had to make it tilt at 4 degrees. This one took us a lot of time to complete. Some days I couldn't even sleep! It was difficult for me to think about what to do without causing a disaster,” he added.
Also on display is a cake model of the Lion King iconic scene of Rafiki lifting a newborn Simba.
With cartoon characters aplenty, the exhibition is an absolute treat for children, whose joy at seeing those characters made of cake was unparalleled.
“I like the starting one with Simba, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but my favourite thing is the cars!” said Samarth as two others chimed in with “I like the Tom and Jerry” and “I like Doraemon”.
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