top of page

By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Modi’s ‘Melody’ diplomacy stuns the world

Overjoyed investors buy shares of a wrong company after the PM’s gift Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gifting his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni 'Melody' toffees, reviving the light-hearted "Melodi" wordplay associated with the two leaders on social media. Meloni thanked Modi and shared a video on the social media in which she could be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee - Melody.” Modi, who was also seen in the video, burst...

Modi’s ‘Melody’ diplomacy stuns the world

Overjoyed investors buy shares of a wrong company after the PM’s gift Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gifting his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni 'Melody' toffees, reviving the light-hearted "Melodi" wordplay associated with the two leaders on social media. Meloni thanked Modi and shared a video on the social media in which she could be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee - Melody.” Modi, who was also seen in the video, burst into laughter as Meloni jokingly referred to the "Melody" toffee while showcasing the gift. The hashtag "Melodi", a blend of Modi and Meloni's names, was coined by the Italian prime minister during the COP28 in Dubai in 2023 and later went viral on social media following the warm interactions between the two leaders at global events. Modi, who arrived in Rome on Tuesday, is on the final leg of his five-nation tour to the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15-20. Modi’s gift not only floored the social media, but also earned gushing gratitude from the manufacturer of the sweet candy, Parle Products, in Vile Parle, Mumbai. “Thank You. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for taking Parle Melody to the global stage. A proud moment for all of us at Parle Products to see an Indian favourite being shared across borders,” said a social media post from @ParleFamily, a 97-year-old company. Parle Products describes Melody: “Parle Melody brings to you an irresistible layer of caramel on the outside & a delightful chocolate filling inside. Open & pop it in your mouth & relish the unique experience. It won't be too long before you start asking yourself the age-old question "Melody Itni Chocolaty Kyun Hai?”.” Cong Attacks Modi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other Congress leaders also attacked Modi saying he continues his PR even when the economy is suffering. However, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal hit back at Gandhi, accusing him of "hating India" and refusing to tolerate the "global respect" the country has garnered under Modi's leadership. Gandhi, who is on a visit to his constituency Raebareli and Amethi, said on X, "This isn't leadership, it's a gimmick." At a time farmers, labourers, traders and others in the country are all in tears, the prime minister is laughing and making reels while BJP folks are clapping along, the former Congress president said in his post in Hindi. "An economic storm is raging over our heads, and our prime minister is busy handing out candies in Italy!" he said. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Modi over issues of "rising" prices, unemployment, paper leaks, "dampening" investment and "sinking" Rupee, saying the prime minister continues his PR even as the economy is suffering. Shares turn sweet but the company was mistaken Shares of Parle Industries Ltd saw frenzied buying on Wednesday, surging five per cent to hit the upper circuit limit after Meloni posted the video. Investors wasted no time and flocked to the counter to buy the stock. Shares of the firm jumped to Rs 5.25 - the highest trading permissible limit for the day - on the BSE. On volume terms, 8.57 lakh shares of the firm were traded on the BSE during the day. But, there is a catch! Investors mistook Parle Industries for the maker of Melody toffees. Parle Products, the FMCG major, is the manufacturer of Melody toffees and is not listed on the stock exchanges. Parle Industries Ltd is a diversified commercial services provider, engaged in the business of infrastructure & real estate, and paper, waste paper and allied products. The history of swadeshi toffee is entwined with the country’s Independence and the company, House of Parle was founded in 1928 by Mohanlal Dayal Chauhan, a tailor from Pardi near Valsad, then part of the Bombay Province. As the country was flooded with imported sweets and confectionery, he decided to give it a ‘desi’ touch and flavour, and with a band of 12 workers, he launched the Parle products from a musty old warehouse near Vile Parle east station, when large parts areas of Vile Parle west were still marshes dotted with a few old bungalows and chawls. Later, he visited Germany to master the art of confectionery and returned with machinery worth Rs 60,000 to churn out simple sweets, toffees and locally flavoured Indian confections at affordable prices – willy-nilly challenging the imported British offerings. It was in 1983 that the chocolate Melody toffee. -WITH PTI

Cluster Redevelopment on Cards

Updated: Oct 30, 2024

Cluster Redevelopment

Few months before, the state government led by Eknath Shinde had given a green signal to the development of the Koliwadas in Mumbai. The government has decided on the cluster redevelopment of these settlements in different parts of the city. The koliwadas are the settlements of the Koli or fishermen community, who are the original inhabitants of Mumbai along with indigenous groups like the Agaris, Bhandaris and Pathare Prabhus. They are spread across areas like Colaba, Worli, Sion, Dharavi, Versova and others. However, fearing that the move would wipe out the identity of their age-old settlements and prove a threat to their sole means of livelihood, the fishing community has strongly opposed the inclusion of “koliwadas” in the cluster redevelopment scheme.


In all, around 32 koliwadas in Mumbai have been demarcated, and work on the rest is underway. A Development Control Regulations for the development of koliwadas has been prepared as a special dispensation, but is yet to be finalised. The new DCR will give extra FSI to the koliwadas to accommodate them. The government has also formulated a special set of DCR to develop the koliwadas by giving incentives like extra floor space index (FSI). While doing this the Koli’s have been overlooked. The Kolis are the city’s earliest inhabitants, and have existed here since it was seven islands, before each island was joined to create Bombay by the British, whose development reclaimed and relocated the community.


As the government is hectically pushing for cluster redevelopment, the resentment among the community is growing on every given day. The first and foremost issue which is directly affecting all the fishermen is their livelihood. The state-level fisherman association, Akhil Maharashtra MachhimaarKruti Samiti (AMMKS) has written letters to the chief minister, deputy chief minister, additional chief secretary, district collector and the municipal commissioner demanding immediate exclusion of Koliwadas and villages in Palghar and Ratnagiri districts from the much-hyped scheme.


The fisherfolks are worried due to Inclusion of koliwada in the urban renewal plan under the guise of cluster redevelopment. They think this is unmindful and if implemented, it will have negative impacts on fishing, fishing communities and the coastal environment of the city. If the coastal areas are not excluded, the entire community will be forced to launch an agitation.


Apart from ownership rights of some properties held by local fishermen, several land parcels are still owned by the Mumbai Port Trust and Revenue Department. Home to more than thousands of fishing boats in the region, people living in the coastal belt exclusively rely on fishing as their source of livelihood. Notably, the fishing community has been struggling for the collective ownership of areas used to park boats, dry fish and mend fishnets, for the past more than two decades.


The question hovering in the minds of this fishing community that Is the redevelopment of Koliwadas becoming a threat to the Kolis.

Comments

bottom of page