'Melodi' moment in Rome: PM Modi presents Melody toffees to Giorgia Meloni during his visit to Italy | Follow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a packet of Parle’s ‘Melody’ caramel to Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni during their meeting in Rome, Italy. Meloni shared a video on social media of Prime Minister Modi gifting her a packet of caramel.

“Melodi” or “Melody” is an internet nickname coined by social media users for the friendly public chemistry between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgio Meloni.

“Prime Minister Modi bought as a gift, a very good caramel,” Meloni says in the video. “Melody,” the two leaders say in unison.

The term combines parts of their surname — Meloni + Modi = Melodi. It became a viral meme after the two leaders were seen interacting warmly at global events such as the G20 Summit and COP28 in Dubai.

The phrase exploded online after Meloni posted a selfie video with Modi at COP28 with the caption: “Good friends at COP28. #Melodi.”

The hashtag quickly spread across Indian social media, generating memes, fan edits and jokes depicting the two leaders as a popular diplomatic duo.

While “Melodi” is mostly a humorous social media phenomenon, it also reflects the improving relations between India and Italy in areas such as trade, defense and strategic cooperation.

Modi in Italy

PM Modi is currently in Italy on the last leg of his five-nation tour. After landing in Rome on Tuesday (local time), Prime Minister Modi met Watermelons after dinner followed by a visit to the iconic Coliseum. The two leaders exchanged views on a wide range of topics.

Formerly, Meloni greeted PM Modi with a photo of the two leaders on his arrival in Rome for the final leg of his five-member tour on Tuesday (local time).

Meloni shared a picture with PM Modi on X and wrote, “Welcome to Rome my friend!”.