There was a revealing moment during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France this month for the G-7 Summit. In a viral social media clip, Modi was heard delightedly discussing Instagram with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who replied with equal amusement: “We are the most famous on Instagram.”
The exchange was merely the latest episode in what sections of the Indian media have christened the “Melodi” phenomenon—a carefully cultivated social-media friendship built on selfies, reels and viral moments.
During an earlier visit to Italy, Modi and Meloni posed with Melody chocolates, a playful reference to a portmanteau of their surnames that promptly generated millions of views online.
