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24 May, 2025

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

Comments

Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad May 24, 2025 02:30pm
Old and bad habits and practices die hard.
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M. Saeed May 24, 2025 02:51pm
A reminder to indians! They should stop using all packaged food products packed in Tetra Pak packages.
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Laila May 24, 2025 04:04pm
Oh no however will we cope with this? (Eye roll)
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JAMIL SOOMRO May 24, 2025 04:18pm
How shameful even after over seven decades the Hindutva Govt. BJP has not changed the British name "India" of the country to "Hindustan"? And they are scared of the name "Pak".?
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Thev Dia May 24, 2025 04:27pm
Agreed!
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Anonymouseee May 24, 2025 09:47pm
Next they will also stop breathing the air coming from Pakistan. Indians are being humiliated at every stage.
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Hamed May 24, 2025 11:31pm
In Greece if you ask for Turkish coffee, you won't get it. You will get Greek coffee. Both the same! Turks started the coffee.
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Hasni, Syed May 25, 2025 01:08am
It’s indeed a curious and somewhat perplexing move, especially given the context of the Indian-Pakistani relations. Dropping the suffix ‘pak’ from dessert names seems to reflect the sensitivity surrounding cultural and political tensions. While it may be an attempt to navigate these complexities, it also raises questions about the preservation of culinary heritage. Food is such a significant part of cultural identity, and it’s fascinating (and a bit sad) to see how external factors can influence something as cherished as mithai. It will be interesting to see how this change is received by the community and if it sparks further discussions on cultural identity and heritage.
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Gurpreet Singh May 25, 2025 02:07am
Pakistan has become a bad word in India and nobody wants to be even remotely associated with it.
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Saira Khan May 25, 2025 04:40am
India has become just like its small timer leader - cheap and insecure.
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Vikram Nair May 25, 2025 06:30pm
My friend Deepak has gone for a name change. Should be call himself Deeshree or Deephuk?
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Ehsan May 25, 2025 08:39pm
Good to see Indians are trying hard to beat us in bigotry
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Shumaila May 25, 2025 08:45pm
Haha good try but failed miserably I guess
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Asad May 25, 2025 11:13pm
This shows an inferiority complex among indians. Sad for them. They are living on lies, deceit and fraud. They carry out a phelgham false flag attack, on their own people, blame pakistan within 5 minutes, then launch an attack and get beaten bad, now to console they are going around changing names to live in their bollywood world.
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Ron May 26, 2025 03:37am
I believe it's important for the educated class in India to stay informed about the current affairs in their country—just as many in the educated class in Pakistan are aware and understand the broader context of political and social issues. In my experience here in Australia, I work with several Indian colleagues, most of whom are Hindu. Despite our different backgrounds, we’ve built strong, respectful relationships. We never discuss conflict or politics between our countries; instead, we enjoy each other’s company and culture, especially through sharing food and conversation. No one is overly concerned with the tensions back home—our focus is on mutual respect and harmony in our day-to-day lives.
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