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Melody Diplomacy To India's Soft Power Showcase: PM Modi's 'Gift' Diplomacy Wins Europe, UAE Hearts

| May 21, 2026, 07:58:16 PM | TOI.in
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A packet of Melody toffees. That’s all it took for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni to break the internet. During Modi’s Italy visit, a light-hearted “Melodi” moment featuring the iconic Indian candy exploded online, crossing nearly 200 million views and triggering a frenzy across social media, brands and even stock markets. From Blinkit and Zepto reportedly running out of Melody stock to meme pages and companies jumping into the trend, the viral clip became far bigger than diplomacy. But behind the humour lies something deeper: India’s soft power strategy. From Assam’s Muga silk and Manipur’s Shirui Lily-inspired stole to Agra’s marble inlay art and rare GI-tagged food gifts, Modi’s five-nation tour turned cultural diplomacy into storytelling. This report breaks down the viral Melodi phenomenon, the internet’s obsession with Modi and Meloni, and how one tiny toffee became the world’s biggest diplomatic talking point.

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