Word of the Week: Melody, the humble toffee at the heart of India’s new chocolate diplomacy

The year 2026 has so far been about nostalgia. In an age of constant progress, many individuals are retreating to the past where there was no AI and no algorithms. Gen-Z, notably, has been looking to the past — think analogue phones, Y2K fashion and an embrace of vintage aesthetics.

And it seems that this nostalgia caught up with world leaders too when Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented his ‘friend’ Italy’s Giorgia Meloni with a packet of ‘Melody’ chocolates during his visit to Rome.

The toffee gift was meant to be a joke alluding to friendship between the two world leaders, which turned into a viral phenomenon, #Melodi. But for us, it also hearkened back to those sweet days of gobbling down the chewy candy with a soft chocolate filling.

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This week, as you sit back and perhaps chomp down on a Melody, we take a deep dive into the history of the toffee and how this ’90s sweet became the most viral topic and a sweet diplomatic tool in our ‘Word of the Week’ series.

The sweet story of Melody toffee

Before Melody became a diplomatic tool in the hands of PM Modi, it was a humble toffee that sat quietly on kirana store shelves across India.

But Melody has a sweet history behind it. Parle Products Private Limited, founded in 1929 by Chauhan family of Vile Parle, created Melody in 1983 as a means to enter India’s confectionery market. At the time, the market was evolving and chocolate was considered aspirational and often expensive. Children craved chocolate bars but they were not affordable. That is when Parle introduced Melody, dual-core sweet — a soft caramel exterior with rich liquid chocolate centre, priced at just Rs 1.

Parle launched Melody in 1983, at a time when India’s confectionery market was still evolving. Image Courtesy: X

However, it soon faced competition from other toffees, including Cadbury’s Eclairs. For this, Parle looked to Everest, the advertising agency brought on to handle the brand.

Creative head Haresh Moorjani and copywriter Sulekha Bajpai took on the brief, with the goal of highlighting Melody’s generous chocolate filling without making explicit comparisons to rivals. The breakthrough came in an unlikely moment. Bajpai was refining her lines in Parle’s reception area, waiting to present the concept, when the idea crystallised. The line she landed on was simple, yet effective: “Melody ke andar itni chocolate kaise bhari batao?” and the now-iconic reply: “Melody khao, khud jaan jao.” A jingle sealed it. “Melody hai chocolatey, Melody hai chocolatey.”

The rest they say is history. The toffee and its tagline became memorable, achieving cult-like status.

Modi brings Melody to #Melodi

PM Modi has a sweet friendship with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni. Their rapport even gave rise to the viral hashtag #Melodi — a trend that both the leaders have even acknowledged. For instance, when Modi travelled to Italy for the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in June 2024, Meloni shared a selfie and a video of herself with the Indian PM, both breaking the internet.

In the video, the two leaders were seen waving at the camera with Meloni saying, “Hello from the Melodi team”.

So, when PM Modi headed to Italy this week as part of his Europe tour, many stated that their friendship would be on display for all to watch.

And #Melodi didn’t disappoint at all! They shared images of themselves at the Rome’s Colosseum, and even indulged in some carpool diplomacy.

But what got the internet really buzzing was PM Modi gifting a pack of the Parle Melody Toffee to Meloni. The Italian PM shared a video on Instagram of the Indian leader holding the packet as the two giggled at the inside joke.

Suddenly, the humble toffee was no longer just candy, it became the most spoken about topic on social media. A gazillion memes erupted. Users edited Melody wrappers with Modi and Meloni’s faces. Others joked that India had discovered “toffee diplomacy”.

Melody frenzy online and offline

Offline too, the demand for the toffee skyrocketed. Quick-commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto reported running out of the iconic candy across several parts of the country. Screenshots circulated online to show the candy marked unavailable in multiple areas.

Melody frenzy even reached India’s Dalal Street. Shares of Parle Industries surged sharply after the PM’s video with Meloni. However, there was one big problem.

The actual manufacturer, Parle Products, is an unlisted private company. Its shares cannot be bought on the stock market. So, investors landed on the next: Parle Industries, which has nothing to do with the toffee. In fact, it is a company engaged in infrastructure and real estate development. It is also involved in the trading of paper, paper waste and allied recycling products.

All in all, it wasn’t too bad a week for Melody, the humble toffee that was once sold outside school gates for Re 1.