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In a post-Operation Sindoor India, nationalism is being served not just hot, but sugar-dusted, cardamom-scented, and absurdly renamed.

Jaipur’s mithai scene has taken a dramatic turn as at least three famous confectioneries — Tyohaar Sweets, Bombay Misthan Bhandar, and Agarwal Caterers — have dropped the suffix ‘pak’ from their dessert menus, citing “national pride” and an “anti-Pakistan mood” reported Tribune India.

It started with Tyohaar Sweets in Vaishali Nagar, known for its handcrafted mithai. Owner Anjali Jain told PTI, “The spirit of patriotism shouldn’t just reside at the border but in every Indian home and heart.” With that in mind, Mysore Pak, Moti Pak, Gond Pak and even premium concoctions like Swarn Bhasm Pak and Chandi Bhasm Pak were renamed Mysore Shree, Moti Shree, Gond Shree, etc.

The suffix ‘pak’ in mithai names in India doesn’t represent an affinity with Pakistan but instead comes from the Sanskrit word ‘paka’, meaning ‘to cook’, and is also rooted in Kannada, where it refers to a sugary syrup used in sweets.

“We decided to remove ‘pak’ from the names of our sweets and replace it with more culturally resonant and patriotic alternatives,” Jain explained to Local-18, adding that some customers had begun expressing discomfort with the word ‘pak’ following the military escalation between India and Pakistan.

Joining the sugary protest were Bombay Misthan Bhandar and Agarwal Caterers. Their sweet symphony of nationalism? Axe the ‘pak’. Vineet Trikha, GM of Bombay Misthan Bhandar, told PTI, “We wanted to send a clear message — those who dare raise their eyes against India will have their names erased, and every Indian will respond in their own way. This is our sweet, symbolic retaliation.”

Symbolic, sure. Sweet? Debatable.

The internet, naturally, had a field day with this. Linguists, meme-makers, and mithai purists all chimed in to highlight the sweet irony of the move.

Linguist Abhishek Avtans spelled it out on X: “Who’s going to tell them that Pak in Mysore Pak, Moti Pak etc. is from the Kannada pāka, meaning sweet condiment?”

Another user pointed out, “Pak is a Sanskrit word meaning cooked. It does not mean Pakistan. In schools we have Pak-kala… It’s related to food. This is basic Sanskrit.”

Cue the online roasting from fellow Indians:

“What’s next — boycotting ‘chini’ from kitchens?” a user quipped. “What do we do about daal PAKwan now?” another asked. “Will these people change Karachi Halwa too? Even pakora has ‘Pak’. Now what?” a netizen wrote.

“Let’s change Pakwan to Shriwan, Pakhee to Shrihee, Pakeeza film to Shriza, Pakmoreya Street to Shrimoreya Street and Pakka ko Shrika. Let’s quit work and do this,” another remarked. A user asked if Indians should now consider removing green and white from their flag too.

Nuance rarely stands a chance against populism, it seems. What began as a niche rebranding at a Jaipur sweet shop has snowballed into a larger issue — one where mithai menus have become battlegrounds of performative patriotism.

Cover photo: Kartik’s Mithai