On Odisha CM's birthday chef creates 72 kg chocolate sculpture of Naveen Patnaik

Chef Rakesh Kumar Sahu of Begunia of Khordha created a beautiful 72-kilogram chocolate sculpture to honour Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on his 75th birthday. This was done with the help of six of his students. The 32-year-old Sahu owns a baking and pastry art academy on Tanka Pani Road.

He completed the sculpture in 15 days. Sahu is a sports fanatic. In his interview to ANI, he explained that he created the sculpture as a tribute to Patnaik's consistent support for Indian hockey over the years, which led to the Men's and Women's National Teams' outstanding performances at the just-completed Tokyo Olympic Games 2020.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik receives 72 kg chocolate cake on his 75th birthday

"I was celebrating the bronze medal win just like the rest of the country when it struck me that I should do something special for our Chief Minister who stood by the National Hockey Teams like a rock during its lowest phase," Sahu said.

Cake unveiled by state sports minister

The sculpture-making crew experienced a number of challenges over the course of more than two weeks, including sleepless nights caused by temperature fluctuations and changes in moisture levels in their workshop, according to the Chef. He went on to say that their efforts paid off as the finished sculpture turned out to be exactly what they had envisioned. The team was overjoyed when it was unveiled by Tusharkanti Behera, the state's Sports Minister, at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium on the CM's birthday on Saturday.

CM did not celebrate birthday like last year, due to COVID-19 pandemic 

After the display period, the Sports Department has decided to distribute the chocolate used to create the sculpture to children in the surrounding districts. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik opted not to celebrate his birthday yesterday due to the COVID-19 situation. The Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to the people of Odisha for their love, good wishes, and blessings, saying that he was always grateful to them. In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, Patnaik chose not to celebrate his birthday last year and instead requested his supporters and Biju Janata Dal members to help the poor by donating plasma to commemorate the day.

"It has been two-and-a-half years since people have been facing a hard time due to COVID. So, it will be a great pleasure for me if the well-wishers instead of visiting my residence perform good deeds such as helping the families of those who died due to COVID-19, and byt donating blood," Patnaik said in a statement.

With inputs from ANI

(IMAGE: ANI)