THEKUA Indian Cookie

Design: Vivek Singh
Location: India
Project Type: Student Project
School: MIT Institute of Design, Pune
Packaging Contents: Indian Cookie
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Aluminium, paper, Cellophane plastic
Printing Process: Digital Printing

Thekua is an Indian cookie. It is very popular in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purvanchal), and Terai region of Nepal.

Thekua is a revered Prasada, offering to god in the Chhath puja. It has been used as a sweet snack for centuries in these places.

The main ingredients of Thekua are wheat flour, chasni (melted sugar), and ghee. Jaggery can sometimes be used as an alternative to sugar and some dry fruits can be added. The dough is prepared using these four main ingredients and cardamom can be added to enhance the taste. The dough is deep-fried in ghee or vegetable oil till it becomes reddish-brown. It is soft when hot but hardens after it cools.

It needs no preservatives and it can be preserved for several days for eating.

There is an emotional attachment to this Indian cookie. Each bite of Thekua reminds people of their family. Especially for people who are staying away from their hometown and family. Thekua is a symbol of mother love. North-East Indian mothers give homemade thekua to their children as a blessing when they go for higher study or job from their hometown.

This Indian cookie needs to cross its boundary and should available in market so that people can enjoy the taste of Indian cookie ‘Thekua’.

The shape of this packaging is inspired from traditional Indian stove called ‘Chulha’. Chulha is use to make Indian cookies.

It is a fun factor with this packaging. It’s a cylindrical shape container without any cap, when the first half of the packaging twisted in clockwise or anti-clockwise manner, an opening appears in the second half of the packaging. where you can get your tasty cookies.

The packaging is handy and a capacity of 12 cookies. To make the packaging more sustainable and eco-friendly, the material should be biodegradable, lightweight, and water resistant. The proposed material has a middle layer of aluminum coated with cellophane and an outer layer of paper. Which would also ease the printing process.

Illustration has its own story, it’s inspired by INDIAN ART. An Indian mother is making cookies for their children in a traditional Indian stove. Children are enjoying cookies beside her.

This illustration is a glimpse of childhood memories.