NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shared a light-hearted moment at the G7 summit that quickly went viral, with Meloni saying that they are “the most famous couple on Instagram.”As leaders assembled for the traditional group photo, Meloni greeted Modi with “Nice to see you again.” When Modi appeared to reference their social media popularity, Meloni quipped: “Yeah, we are the most famous on Instagram.”The exchange immediately triggered reactions across X and Instagram, with users celebrating the enduring appeal of the ‘Melodi’ duo, a portmanteau of their surnames that has become a social media phenomenon over the past three years.
The origin of ‘Melodi’
The ‘Melodi’ craze began in November 2023 at the COP28 summit in Dubai. Meloni posted a selfie with Modi on Instagram, captioned “Good friends at COP28 #Melodi.” The hashtag took off instantly, spawning memes, fan edits and countless viral posts.Since then, almost every interaction between the two leaders has generated fresh waves of internet buzz. Whether at G7 summits, international conferences or bilateral meetings, the hashtag has repeatedly resurfaced.The phenomenon reached a new peak during Modi’s visit to Rome last month. The prime minister presented Meloni with a packet of Parle’s Melody chocolates, a playful nod to the ‘Melodi’ phenomenon. The gesture, captured on video, quickly broke the internet.“Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift… very, very good toffee,” Meloni said in the clip, smiling as both leaders laughed.The video crossed 100 million views within six hours of being posted online and currently has over 13 million likes on Instagram.Modi was in France for the G7 summit, where he also met with French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Donald Trump and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. But it was the light-hearted moment with Meloni that captured social media’s attention.The interaction has once again revived the ‘Melodi’ trend, with users across platforms celebrating the chemistry between the two leaders.