From sondesh to designer aam: Modi mania for the gourmand

From mangoes, to tea and now sweets – PM-designate Narendra Modi sure seems to have covered all food groups this election season. Joyous BJP supporters have taken Modi mania to the next level by dedicating food to their new leader.

Ahead of the historic swearing-in ceremony today at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, food stalls are cashing in on the ‘Modi factor’. A Times of India report shows sweets, with the PM-elect’s face on them, selling like hot cakes in Kolkata. This ‘NaMo Sondesh’ has “a portrait of Narendra Modi embossed on it and uses edible colours to make it vibrant,” said an India Today report. The Bengali delicacy, however, is unlikely to sweeten the mood of CM Mamata Banerjee, who is all set to give the swearing-in ceremony a miss.

Meanwhile, people in Vadodara have the option of sipping on ‘NaMo tea’ at – wait for it! – the Mani Shankar Aiyar tea stall. Yes, the Mani Shankar Aiyar tea stall. After courting controversy over his Modi tea-seller remarks, the Congress leader can now boast of a tea-stall being his namesake. "

Aiyar had earlier said, “Narendra Modi will never become the Prime Minister of the country. …But if he wants to distribute tea here, we will find a place for him."

“We kept the stall after his name as it is the best reply to politicians like Aiyar,” said Nikitin Contractor to the Times of India. All passers-by will be given free tea, said the report.

The stall will also be giving out free falafels – not dhoklas – with their tea. Why? To give impetus to Indo-Israel relations. Falafel, a deep-fried patty made of chickpeas is a typical Mediterranean preparation, and not exactly an Israeli dish, but never mind!

Uttar Pradesh, as expected, isn’t far behind in Modi mania. In Lucknow, a mango cultivator has named a new hybrid ‘NaMo aam’, after the new PM.

“The new genus has the salient features of “Husn-e-Aara”, known for its beauty, and “Dussehri” which is regarded for its taste. It is named after and dedicated to Narendra Modi,” Mr Kalimullah said in an NDTV report . Kalimullah, a local Muslim cultivator, has high expectations from the Modi government, said the report. With a combination of beauty and taste, the ‘NaMo aam’ is going to be hard to resist.

Modi now has a full plate – sondesh, tea and mangoes aside. The real work begins now. The next five years will give Modi a chance to show if he can really live up to the image he has created in the head and hearts of the Indian people. Or will the new Modi government be too much to digest? We will know once the table has been cleared.