“This was really significant for us. We are thankful to our Prime Minister. I believe this is a wonderful way to promote Indian products and perhaps give them a global spotlight,” commented Mayank Shah, Vice President of the Mumbai-based confectionery firm, in an interview with CNBC-TV18 shortly after.
The delightful moment for Melody’s creators occurred on Wednesday when the Italian Prime Minister uploaded a video on Instagram with the caption, “Thank you for the gift.”
In the video, Meloni is seen holding the packet of Melody toffees and cheerfully stating, “Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift…a very, very good toffee.”
To this, PM Modi responded with “Melody,” as both leaders chuckled and showed the packet to the camera.
This interaction also nods to a viral internet meme named ‘Melodi,’ which merges parts of their last names and celebrates the apparent chemistry between the two leaders, a stark contrast to the usual formalities of international relations.
Thank you for the gift pic.twitter.com/7ePxbJwPbA
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) May 20, 2026
Read more: ‘Welcome to Rome, My friend’: Giorgia Meloni greets PM Modi as Colosseum photo wins internet | In Pics
The meme gained popularity in 2023 after Meloni shared selfies and short clips with Modi at international gatherings like
the COP28 summit in Dubai and the G20 Summit.
Social media users, particularly on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, started sharing edited videos, fan-style montages, and humorous captions that depicted the two leaders as an unusually engaging diplomatic pair.
This is not the first instance of these leaders acknowledging the humor surrounding the meme. At the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in 2023, the Italian Prime Minister shared a cheerful selfie with PM Modi on Instagram, accompanied by the hashtag #Melodi.
However, this marks the first time the Melody brand was directly woven into the joke. Melody was introduced in India in the late 1970s.
It gained fame for its unique combination: a soft caramel coating with a chocolate center—a product that rivaled Cadbury Eclairs but carved out its own distinct identity.
‘Melody khao, khud jaan jao’ (eat Melody and discover for yourself), a line from one of the brand’s jingles, has become part of the cultural fabric and collective memory in the country.
This recent publicity is expected to propel the brand further into international markets. “Italy should be the next major market,” Shah noted, stressing that the brand is already present in over 100 countries.
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(Edited by : Sriram Iyer)
First Published: May 20, 2026 1:35 PM IST
