‘Melodi’ moment in Rome: PM Modi gifts Melody toffees to Giorgia Meloni during his Italy visit | Watch
'Melodi' or 'Melody' is an internet nickname coined by social media users for the friendly public chemistry between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a packet of Parle's 'Melody' toffees to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during their meeting in Rome, Italy. Meloni shared a video on social media of Modi gifting her a packet of toffee.
'Melodi' or 'Melody' is an internet nickname coined by social media users for the friendly public chemistry between Narendra Modi and Giorgia Meloni.
“Prime Minister Modi bought as a gift, a very, very good toffee,” Meloni says in the video. “Melody,” the two leaders say in unison.
The term combines parts of their surnames — Meloni + Modi = Melodi. It became a viral meme after the two leaders were seen warmly interacting at global events such as the G20 Summit and the COP28 in Dubai.
The phrase exploded online after Meloni posted a selfie video with Modi at COP28, captioned: “Good friends at COP28. #Melodi.”
The hashtag quickly trended across Indian social media, spawning memes, fan edits and jokes portraying the two leaders as a popular diplomatic duo.
While ‘Melodi’ is mostly a humorous social media phenomenon, it also reflects improving ties between India and Italy in areas such as trade, defence and strategic cooperation.
PM Modi in Italy
Modi is currently in Italy as part of the final leg of his five-nation tour.
After landing in Rome on Tuesday (local time), Modi met Meloni over dinner, followed by a visit to the iconic Colosseum. The two leaders exchanged perspectives on a wide range of subjects. A bilateral meeting between the two leaders is scheduled today.
Earlier, Meloni shared an old picture of both the leaders at the Colosseum in Italy upon Modi's arrival in Rome for the final leg of his five-nation tour on Tuesday (local time).
Sharing a picture with Modi on X, Meloni wrote, “Welcome to Rome, my friend!”
Modi's Italy visit comes amid strong momentum in India-Italy relations, with both sides actively advancing the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, a broad framework for cooperation across multiple areas.
These include trade, which reached $16.77 billion in 2025; investment, with cumulative FDI of $3.66 billion (April 2000-September 2025); defence and security; clean energy; innovation; science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
(With agency inputs)
- The nickname 'Melodi' symbolizes the growing trend of political leaders becoming social media icons.
- Humor and camaraderie in politics can engage the public and foster positive international relations.
- Memes and social media interactions can significantly influence public perception of global leaders.
About the Author
Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.
Wait for it…
Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.