There was a bit of levity to be had at an otherwise high-stakes political huddle on Wednesday. You could see it when Narendra Modi put aside the formality for a few minutes to have some jhalmuri. The PM put out a clip of it and it didn’t take long for people to notice the mix of coalition good-naturedness and a little local colour.
A snack with a point to make
It was Suvendu Adhikari who put the jhalmuri in front of the Prime Minister and the other leaders at Bharat Mandapam. What should have been a simple break to have a bite of something became a way of bringing everyone together while the NDA was there to review where they stand.
You can’t miss the symbolism of the day. This was the 12th year of the Modi government and the one where he put Jawaharlal Nehru in the rear-view mirror as India’s longest-serving elected PM in unbroken terms. There were some of the big names in the room, like Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah.
The ruling party made sure to put it out there on social media, touting it as a more down-to-earth way of making contact. In his post, the PM was all about the act of sharing with his NDA colleagues, which put a human touch on what is otherwise a conclave of figures and facts.
More than just a taste
Some will tell you the appeal is in the bowl as much as the picture. Jhalmuri is a no-brainer in Kolkata for the way it is seasoned and the kick of mustard oil. Even the name gives it away: jhal is for the spice, muri for the puffed rice.
It isn’t a meal so much as a fast, textured thing to have when you are in a rush. It has the tang and the crunch you want in a matter of seconds, which is handy when your schedule is full. And it is a quiet nod to the street food of Bengal.
He has done this before
Modi has a soft spot for the memory of jhalmuri. Back in April, on the trail in West Bengal, he made a detour to a stall in Jhargram, chatted with the man running it, and put in for the bill. He let the internet in on it, of course.
The video of that went everywhere. It was up to 100 million on Instagram in a day and close to 90 million on Facebook. It made a common snack into something of a talking point and proved how well a taste of the familiar can get through the static of politics.
What was in the room
Put the viral clip to one side and you had a gathering of the top brass from the 22 states and Union Territories the NDA runs. The PM was in the chair with his partners to make sure everyone was on the same page and to note the 12-year mark.
Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi was the venue and the unspoken theme was one of continuity. The video of the jhalmuri was as much about being of one mind as it was a way to clear the palate after some hard policy talk.
To sum up the day:
– An NDA get-together at Bharat Mandapam.
– 12 years in office for the government.
– Heads of state from 22 NDA-ruled areas in attendance.
– The PM putting the jhalmuri moment online for all to see.
Why it strikes a chord
Food has a way of meaning more in India. When a leader is having a simple, no-fuss snack in a moment of ease, it puts you in the room with him. It makes a complicated coalition seem like one thing we can all partake in.
With the NDA making a point of how long they have been in power and how wide their reach is, the jhalmuri is a nice change of pace from the spreadsheets. It shows that a connection is worth more than any press release.
And then what?
Now the focus is off the video and on what the NDA came to decide. The message from the top is to have your milestones and your unity, and to mix in some of the real India with the policy. We will be seeing the pictures from Bharat Mandapam for a while as the alliance gets to work.
