Typically, diplomacy is an extremely dull process. The heads of the world’s nations are gathered in cramped meeting rooms. They give high dollar, predictable presents. A silver bowl is passed over and a framed old monument picture is offered, and everyone is smiling for the camera.
This week Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to scrap that script altogether in Rome. He met the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The two are already a huge and unusual fandom dating back to a selfie snapped at the COP28 summit in Dubai in 2023. They were dubbed “Melodi” via the internet. This is an area where Modi’s government is well aware of this. As such, he gave Meloni a box of toffees (Parle Melody), rather than the traditional gift.
She laughed. She glanced at the camera and pronounced it a “very, very good toffee. It went viral on the internet. It had already hit a hundred million “views in hours”. It was an example of organic/viral marketing like no other. It was easy, totally surprise and very Indian.
The Broken Rulebook is a myth.
Let’s first dispense with an odd rumour that’s been doing the rounds. There is a concern as to whether distributing inexpensive candy during an official state visit is in compliance with Government Officials’ Conduct Rules.
The answer is definitely NO!
The current lack of understanding about government operations here is basic. The Conduct Rules in respect of Central Civil Services are very strict. They set out guidelines to what an IAS officer, a police chief, a tax bureaucrat can receive as a gift and what they cannot receive, to avoid the possibility of bribery. The Prime Minister is not a civil servant, however. He is the democratically elected leader of the government. The rules of bureaucracy are not applicable in his diplomatic correspondence.
Leaders can talk to each other about anything in a bilateral meeting. The dollar value and the antiquity of a gift are not legally defined. Giving someone candy in a package does not break protocol or any manner rule. It’s simply different. This is a non-legal controversy. This will not be considered by any court or disciplinary committee.
The Real Fight: Toffees During a Storm
Although legal does not mean not challenged. The opposition picked up the video and used it as a weapon.
Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, couldn’t find the joke to be humorous. He had noted the contrast between the happy video in Rome and the reality back home which was grim. Gandhi went onto social media and called the PM “totally detached. He noted that India is in the middle of an economic crisis.
The argument of Gandhi was simple. He was painting a picture of farmers, youth and small traders toiling away to make ends meet and the Prime Minister was busy shooting Instagram reels and giving candy to Europeans. He said “It’s not leadership; it’s a farce.”
The real diplomatic spat is here. The BJP is hoping that this comes across as a brilliant soft power move. The Congress is keen on making it appear a baseless enterprise of a leader who pays little heed to the plight of the people at home. It’s about the optics here, not the legality.
A Ridiculous Stock Market Panic, Part 2
The politicians were in a battle, while the stock market went crazy. And in the most embarrassing manner.
As soon as the video was released, retail investors jumped to invest in the company behind Melody. The trouble is, they’ve purchased the incorrect firm.
Melody is a Parle Products product. They are the big privately owned FMCG company of Parle-G and Mango bite. They are privately owned and shares cannot be purchased in the stock market. Amateur investors, however, did not bother to make a simple Google search. They spotted the company “Parle Industries” on the Bombay Stock Exchange and began to pour money into it.
The trading volume shot through the roof. Within a few seconds, Parle Industries saw its shares gain almost 5 percent, touching the upper limit of the stock exchange. The punch line is here. There is no link whatsoever between Parle Industries and Melody or biscuits. Their business is real estate, infrastructure and waste management. It was a ridiculous display of herd mentality as a result of a viral video.
Selling Kirana Store to the world.
Removing the stock market goof and the political ranting, the moment is an interesting change in India’s marketing stance.
It is India’s very specific, elite culture that it exported to the West for decades. We presented Yoga, Classical dance and ancient philosophy. This was different. A Parle Melody is a mass market product. It costs one rupee. It is stored in dusty glass containers in local stores (kiranas) and at railway stations across the subcontinent. For hundreds of millions of common people it’s a childhood memory.
To bring that raw and unrefined slice of normal Indian life to the international diplomatic arena is a big risk-taking gamble. It demonstrates a nation that is not merely posing for Western admiration in the realm of high art.
Even Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal got into the bandwagon and said that India’s toffee and caramel exports have reached from Rs.16 crore in 2014 to Rs.41 crore. The government is taking a firm stance in this narrative. They converted a not-so-serious incident between two top leaders into a big advertisement for Make in India. For some it is a great soft power ploy and for others it is a misjudged diversion. The toffee is the topic of everyone’s conversations.
