Belgian PM planned India Gate chocolates for PM Modi, reveals why gift never arrived: ‘We have backup’ | Today’s news
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever arrived in India with an unusual diplomatic gift for Prime Minister Narendra Modi – a replica of the iconic Gate of India made entirely of fine Belgian chocolate.
There was just one problem: the chocolate sculpture didn’t survive the trip.
The Belgian Embassy in India on Friday shared a photo of the creation on X, revealing what happened to the much-discussed gift.
“The viral India Gate made of chocolate you’ve been wondering about… PM Bart De Wever was hoping to present this sweet Belgian creation to PM Narendra Modi. Unfortunately it got smashed! But the PM is determined to find his way to PM Modi and India – next time!” the Embassy of Belgium in India said in a post.
“Chocolate is excellent for diplomacy”
De Wever himself revealed the story during a joint press conference with Modi after their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday.
“Actually, I had planned to give Prime Minister Modi a fitting gift – an India Gate sculpture made entirely of the finest Belgian chocolates,” said De Wever.
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However, the sculpture did not last the trip.
“But unlike the real Gate of India, which has stood for almost a century, the chocolate version did not even survive the trip to India,” the Belgian prime minister said.
He then added a humorous twist to the diplomatic misadventure: “Chocolate is excellent for diplomacy, but not for diplomatic travel, as we have noticed.”
The Belgian prime minister said the failed trip would not be the end of the gift.
“But no worries, we have a backup in Belgium and one way or another I will get it to PM Modi in one piece. That is the ambition with which I am leaving India today,” he said.
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Why India Gate?
The choice of India Gate was not just about its iconic status.
De Wever said the monument was chosen because of its connection with the shared history of India and Belgium, as well as the future partnership between the two countries.
“We chose India Gate deliberately, as a symbol whose meaning speaks directly to our shared history and future partnership,” De Wever said.
The chocolate sculpture also carried a specific historical reference. According to De Wever, part of the inscription commemorating the Indian soldiers who fought and died in Flanders Fields during the First World War was enlarged on the replica.
“On the statue, the chocolate version, we enlarged part of the inscription which commemorates the Indian soldiers who fought and fell in Flanders during the First World War,” he added.
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A gift linked to a shared war history
De Wever emphasized the role played by Indian soldiers who had traveled thousands of miles to fight on Belgian soil more than a century earlier.
“We have not forgotten their courage and sacrifice. It is part of our history and our shared history and reminds us that peace can never be taken for granted,” he said.
The Chocolate India Gate subsequently became one of the most memorable moments of De Wever’s visit to India, combining Belgian chocolate craftsmanship and a memorial linked to India’s history and its wartime ties with Belgium.
