Modi-Meloni openly joke about Melody: Read how they met first and how their story evolved over the years
The Melody meme culture adds a human and relatable touch to international diplomacy, making their interactions widely discussed online. However, beneath the humour lies a serious and growing strategic partnership between India and Italy.
NewsBharati 20-May-2026 16:07:30 PM
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On Wednesday, May 20, the Italian counterpart of PM Modi, Giorgia Meloni, posted a video saying PM Modi had got a special gift for her during his recent visit to Rome. While flexing that special gift, she showcased a packet of Melody chocolate, taking cognizance of the hashtag Melodi that citizens of both countries use to make 'sweet' fun of the duo's association.
_202605201614102859_H@@IGHT_400_W@@IDTH_600.jpg "melodi newsbharati")
The duo first met on November 16, 2022, at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, barely weeks after Meloni became Italy’s first woman Prime Minister. The two leaders on the sidelines of the summit discussed defence, energy, climate change, and trade.
It is this year that the internet literally exploded with the 'Melodi' memes. Several netizens noticed the cute gestures by the two leaders, photos and videos of which began making rounds on social media. The diplomatic chemistry between the two leaders following this became a recurring talking point through multiple summits.
The buzz intensified further during the G7 Summit in Italy in June 2024, when Meloni posted another light-hearted video featuring Modi and greeted viewers with, “Hello from the #Melodi team.” By then, “Melodi” had turned into a full-fledged internet phenomenon, mixing diplomatic optics with meme culture and online fandom humour.
The next time they met was on 18–19 November 2024, at Rio de Janeiro, a bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit 2024. The duo, during this discussion, discussed the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29.
The interactions that were initially mocked by the netizens became a moment of light fun only after the duo leaders participated in the movement and enjoyed the meme culture. Now, the hashtag is so rooted that even leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Tulla Veerender Goud, etc., are publicly using the hashtag. While this happens on the one hand, the Congress party is choosing to play politics over the issue.
It is interesting to note that the light-hearted camaraderie between Narendra Modi and Giorgia Meloni has helped both leaders attract enormous social media attention, especially among younger audiences. Viral selfies, videos, and the popular “Melodi” hashtag turned their diplomatic meetings into internet moments that travelled far beyond political circles.
The meme culture adds a human and relatable touch to international diplomacy, making their interactions widely discussed online. However, beneath the humour lies a serious and growing strategic partnership between India and Italy. The two countries have strengthened cooperation in defence, trade, technology, energy, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Thus, the memes reflect friendly optics, while the relationship itself is rooted in deep geopolitical and economic interests.
Sharing the video of PM Modi's sweet gesture on her social media accounts, Meloni wrote, "Thank you for the gift". The said video featured both PM Modi and Meloni holding a packet of the popular Indian candy, known by its 'very, very chocolaty' tagline, as they laughed over the cheerful internet trend.
The official and at the same time friendly relationship between PM Modi and Meloni is talked about a lot. Netizens make fun of their association, indicating that they both actually like each other or that PM Modi's trips to Italy have recently increased. Following this, both the leaders chose to be a part of the fun instead of taking it otherwise. But it is actually interesting to know how this story evolved over the years.
Thank you for the gift pic.twitter.com/7ePxbJwPbA
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) May 20, 2026
The duo first met on November 16, 2022, at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, barely weeks after Meloni became Italy’s first woman Prime Minister. The two leaders on the sidelines of the summit discussed defence, energy, climate change, and trade.
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Excellent meeting with PM @GiorgiaMeloni. We exchanged views on how India and Italy can work closely in sectors like energy, defence, culture and in boosting climate change. We also focused on ways to enhance economic partnership between our countries. 🇮🇳 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/F4Qgd1ZYCe
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 16, 2022
The next two times the duo met were on 20 May 2023 in Hiroshima, Japan, and on 9th September 2023 in Delhi, respectively. Notably, during her visit to Delhi as the chief guest for the Raisina Dialogue, where India and Italy elevated ties to a Strategic Partnership, Meloni famously called Modi the “most loved leader around the world.” Then came the moment that officially birthed “Melodi”.
It is this year that the internet literally exploded with the 'Melodi' memes. Several netizens noticed the cute gestures by the two leaders, photos and videos of which began making rounds on social media. The diplomatic chemistry between the two leaders following this became a recurring talking point through multiple summits.
During the COP28 Summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023, Meloni shared a selfie with Narendra Modi and captioned it, “Good friends at COP28. #Melodi.” The post quickly went viral, with social media users embracing the term “Melodi” for the two leaders’ friendly public interactions. Soon, memes, fan edits, and humorous posts flooded platforms like X and Instagram in an extended manner.
The buzz intensified further during the G7 Summit in Italy in June 2024, when Meloni posted another light-hearted video featuring Modi and greeted viewers with, “Hello from the #Melodi team.” By then, “Melodi” had turned into a full-fledged internet phenomenon, mixing diplomatic optics with meme culture and online fandom humour.
Hi friends, from #Melodi pic.twitter.com/OslCnWlB86
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) June 15, 2024
The next time they met was on 18–19 November 2024, at Rio de Janeiro, a bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit 2024. The duo, during this discussion, discussed the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29.
Then they met in June 2025, at Kananaskis during a brief interaction on the sidelines of the G7 Summit 2025, then on 23 November 2025, during the Johannesburg Meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit 2025, and finally here in May 2026.
The interactions that were initially mocked by the netizens became a moment of light fun only after the duo leaders participated in the movement and enjoyed the meme culture. Now, the hashtag is so rooted that even leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Tulla Veerender Goud, etc., are publicly using the hashtag. While this happens on the one hand, the Congress party is choosing to play politics over the issue.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that India's PM was busy sharing chocolates with the Italian PM while the nation is allegedly facing an economic problem. Congress's Pawan Khera also slammed Modi for sharing fun moments with the Italian PM.
Notably, the Italian PM in April 2026 was also seen wearing and flexing Indian jhumkas, provoking the internet to comment that it was a gift from PM Modi to her.
It is interesting to note that the light-hearted camaraderie between Narendra Modi and Giorgia Meloni has helped both leaders attract enormous social media attention, especially among younger audiences. Viral selfies, videos, and the popular “Melodi” hashtag turned their diplomatic meetings into internet moments that travelled far beyond political circles.
The meme culture adds a human and relatable touch to international diplomacy, making their interactions widely discussed online. However, beneath the humour lies a serious and growing strategic partnership between India and Italy. The two countries have strengthened cooperation in defence, trade, technology, energy, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Thus, the memes reflect friendly optics, while the relationship itself is rooted in deep geopolitical and economic interests.
Siddhi Somani
Siddhi Somani is known for her satirical and factual hand in Economic, Social and Political writing. Having completed her post graduation in Journalism, she is currently engaged in completing her Masters in Politics. The author meanwhile is also exploring her hand in analytics and statistics.