India's new soft power
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a packet of Parle's Melody toffee to Georgia Meloni in Rome on May 20, the moment seemed like an internet joke, which crossed social media and directly reached diplomacy. Why is Melody so chocolatey? — This question has been identifying this toffee for a long time. But now Melody has also become a symbol of India's growing manufacturing and export strength.
Melodi meme made by combining the names of both the leaders went viral on social media after the G20 summit of 2023. When Modi gave this toffee to Meloni, she laughingly said on camera, very, very good toffee. After this this video spread rapidly on the internet.
However, behind this light-hearted moment is hidden a bigger story of India's economy and business. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called it a gimmick, but many saw it as a new form of India's soft power.
Earlier, countries used to give gifts like expensive watches, rare artefacts or expensive wines to show their identity. But the Prime Minister of India chose a toffee available for Re 1, which is recognized by people of every section from village to city.
For many Indians, Melody is not just a toffee but a childhood memory. This toffee wrapped in a golden wrapper has been a part of the lives of common people of India. This shows that now India is also proud of its mass-market culture.
Parle Products is one of the oldest and famous FMCG companies in India. This Mumbai based company, started in 1929, made its mark not on the basis of expensive brands but on the basis of cheap and mass-sold products.
Products like Parle-G, Melody, Poppins and Mango Bite have been a part of grocery stores, railway stations and school canteens for decades. These brands have been reaching people from the era when there was neither online delivery nor big retail stores.
Today, even though Indian customers are liking foreign chocolates like Ferrero Rocher, toffees like Melody are still connected with people's emotions.
Earlier, France made its mark in the world with fashion and champagne, Japan with electronics and anime, while South Korea made its mark in the world with K-pop and beauty products. India was identified with yoga, spirituality and Bollywood for a long time. But now India's identity is also being created through common consumer products like UPI, digital technology and Rs 1 toffee.
India is now presenting itself not just as an IT hub or a civilizational country, but as a big consumer market whose indigenous products can reach across the world.
After the #Melody trend went viral, India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that India's toffee story is now reaching the world. He told that in the last 12 years, India's toffee export has increased by 166% to reach Rs 132 crore in 2025-26.
According to government data, the food processing sector is also growing rapidly. Indian snacks, biscuits and toffees are now being sold in Gulf countries, Africa, Britain, South-East Asia and America. Indian immigrants have a big role in this.
After the Modi-Meloni moment, Parle also said that Melody is now being exported to 100 countries. According to the company, this is a good way to take Indian products to the world stage.
During this time, there were also reports that Parle may consider launching an IPO in the future, although the company has currently denied listing in the stock market.
This whole matter shows that now diplomacy is also changing. A Re 1 toffee created a stir across the world, without any major statement. India and Italy are currently trying to strengthen trade, defense and infrastructure relations. The aim of both the countries is to increase mutual trade to 20 billion euros by 2029. At such a time, Melody's packet became not just a toffee but a message of India's new identity.
India is now selling not only software and medicines but also automobiles, electronics, defense equipment and digital systems to the world. India's passenger vehicle export record reached more than 9 lakh units in FY26. At the same time, defense exports increased by 62% to Rs 38,424 crore, which also includes demand for missiles like BrahMos.
The strength of countries in the world is visible not only through their army or economy, but also through their products. Sometimes these identities become fighter planes, sometimes digital payment systems and sometimes even a toffee worth Re 1.
