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After PM Narendra Modi’s selfie with Giorgia Meloni offering her ‘Melody toffees’ gained millions of views last month, the Italian PM’s joke that “we’re the most famous couple on Insta”, captured on hot mic when she met the Indian PM during the G7 summit in France, became an instant hit on social media.The light-hearted moment between Modi and Meloni was witnessed when G7 leaders assembled for a customary group photo in Evian. As PM Modi greeted Meloni, she warmly said, “Nice to see you again”. When Modi appeared to refer to the virality that “Melody toffees” had acquired, Meloni quipped: “Yeah, we’re the most famous couple on Instagram.”The bonhomie between the two PMs dates back to 2022 when they met shortly after Meloni took office in Italy on Oct 22 that year. They discussed bilateral ties, and PM Modi gifted her a traditional Indian Patan Patola scarf. Their interactions gained widespread internet attention during the 2023 G20 Summit and COP28. The hashtag #Melodi first started trending on Dec 1, 2023, when Meloni published her selfie with PM Modi on her official Instagram and X accounts with the one-liner: “Good friends at COP28. #Melodi”. PM Modi reshared the post, warmly adding that “meeting friends is always a delight”. After being gifted Melody toffees by Modi in May this year, Meloni later posted a viral video thanking him by saying, “PM Modi brought us a gift, a very, very good toffee.” The video went viral and received 100 million views on Insta within just six hours of being posted.Banter apart, the ‘Melodi’ effect has had a very positive effect on India-Italy relations as the two countries have elevated their ties to a ‘Special Strategic Partnership’. Trade between the two sides has already reached Euro 14.25 billion, with a newly set joint target to exceed Euro 20 billion by 2029.The two leaders have also revitalised defence ties, which had earlier lost momentum due to legacy issues (originating from the 2012 Italian Marines incident and the AgustaWestland corruption scandal), and established a foundation for extensive military and industrial collaboration. During Modi’s Rome visit in May, the two sides framed a defence industrial roadmap for co-development and co-production of military hardware and next-generation defence technologies. The two countries are also deepening cooperation in maritime security, given their shared stakes in the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean.
