The Shah family moved from India to the UK in 2004, initially settling in Luton before later moving to Nottinghamshire.
Creating unique statues of Lord Ganesha had become an annual tradition for the family, with this year marking their fifth design using unconventional materials – previous versions have been made using potatoes and biscuits.
Bhavini said the idea began when their children Nisarg and Shlok were young and the family wanted to help them stay connected to their Hindu culture.
“Coming from India and living in this country, we wanted our children to understand the culture and be involved in the celebrations,” she said.
“We thought the best way to do that was through a hands-on experience.”
The family initially bought ready-made Ganesha statues and decorated them at home, before progressing to making their own clay sculptures.
Each year, the family brainstorms new design ideas and materials. Previous creations have incorporated rice, grains and coloured flour. They also considered using pearls, but ruled them out because they are not biodegradable.
“We wanted something white and attractive,” Bhavini said. “We thought about mint balls, but they were too big, so we settled on Tic Tacs.”
Bhavini recruited family friends and their children to help build the clay statue before attaching thousands of the mints by hand. The intricate process presented a number of challenges.
“We started with the model and positioning of the statue,” she said. “Once we had achieved that, we experimented with cutting the Tic Tacs in half to see what looked best.
“At one point we were running out on a weekend when shops were closing early, so my job was to run around buying more whenever we needed them.
“There was also the mess from the glue gun and a few burns along the way.”