Mysore Pak Renamed Amid India-Pakistan Tensions
The decision to rename traditional sweets has been met with mixed reactions, with some supporting the move as a gesture of national pride, while others see it as an unnecessary and misguided attempt to erase the cultural heritage of Indian sweets. The debate highlights the complexities of language, culture, and nationalism in India, and the need for nuanced understanding and sensitivity in such matters.
Jaipur's mithai scene has undergone a significant change, with several confectioneries dropping the suffix 'pak' from their dessert names, citing national pride and an anti-Pakistan mood. The move has sparked a debate, with linguists and netizens pointing out the irony and historical context of the word 'pak', which is rooted in Sanskrit and Kannada, referring to a cooking method or sugary syrup.
The change started with Tyohaar Sweets, where owner Anjali Jain said the decision was made to "remove the spirit of patriotism from the border and bring it to every Indian home and heart". Other confectioneries, including Bombay Misthan Bhandar and Agarwal Caterers, have followed suit, renaming their desserts with patriotic names. Sweets like Mysore Pak, Moti Pak, and Gond Pak are being rebranded as Moti Shree, Aam Shree, Gond Shree, and Mysore Shree respectively.
The term "Pak" in these sweets has no connection to Pakistan, but is a reference to the sugar syrup used in their preparation. The renaming is a symbolic gesture, sparked by nationalist sentiment following recent hostilities between the two countries. The move has highlighted the tension between nuance and populism, with mithai menus becoming battlegrounds of performative patriotism.
The controversy has also led to jokes about the potential for rebranding other Indian dishes and items with Pakistani origins, such as 'daal PAKwan' and 'pakora'. However, the renaming of traditional sweets has sparked a debate about the importance of understanding the historical context and meaning of words, rather than making assumptions based on their similarity to names of other countries.