Ties between India and Pakistan have been under strain for the past month, following the Uri militant attack, in which 19 Indian Army soldiers lost their lives, and India's subsequent surgical strikes on "terror launchpads" along the Line of Control.
While the two governments engage in a staring contest, social media warriors on both sides are vying to outdo each other. In India, there has been a call for a boycott on everything from Chinese and Pakistani products to Pakistani actors like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan.
Amid this hostility, some Indians have found humour, ironically calling for eschewal of a homegrown sweet with the word Pak in its name.
This Diwali, I swear I will not eat Mysore Pak, unless it's re-named Mysore India 😂😝
— Karlapu Kiran Kumar (@scarysouthpaw) October 21, 2016
(A WhatsApp forward)
Boycott sweet shops until they rename "Mysore Pak" as "Mysore Ind" #BhaktsLogic#DangalTrailer
— We Support Dangal (@aamirspk1) October 20, 2016
First prepared in the kitchens of the Mysore Palace, during the regime of Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, the delicious and ghee-soaked Mysore Pak takes its name from the city of its origin, and the Kannada word "pak" meaning sweet concoction.
People are talking about not eating Mysore Pak till it become Mysore Ind..
— Super Natwarlal (@vichupedia) October 20, 2016
They should also stop eating any Pakwaan till it become INDwaan.
Another Indian favourite brought up in the virtual call for a boycott was the Karachi Bakery. Established by Khanchand Ramnani – a Sindhi migrant in Hyderabad – the bakery was reportedly named after the capital of the Sindh Province, Karachi.
Also stop eating confectionery from Karachi bakery.Boycott Karachi halwa. https://t.co/eTSXWn4UX9
— LEENA (@kunfaaya) October 18, 2016
In an interesting parallel, there is a 100-year-old bakery named the Bombay Bakery, in Pakistan’s Hyderabad city.
@sunny_congress @narendramodi you can open Karachi kitchen but not Pakistani kitchen. Karachi bakery in Hyderabad
— Arun Chauhan (@arunkrchauhan) October 20, 2016
Indians known for their wit on Twitter, have also suggested boycotting other foods with names reminiscent of Pakistan – such as Lahori namak (salt), Sindhi Kadhi (a popular gravy dish) and Peshawari biryani.
So please screenshot this & make a WhatsApp fwd for all true Indians. LET US BOYCOTT Ajwain & Sendha Namak. All of it is from Pakistan!
— वरुण (@varungrover) October 18, 2016
#WhyTalkToPak
— Nida (@123nida321) October 14, 2016
In the process of banning,can we consider banning Karachi halwa,lahori namak,Multani mitti,Sindhi kadhi n Peshawari biryani?l
The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association recently banned Pakistani actors and technicians from shooting in India till “normalcy” returned. The move followed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena threatening all Pakistani artists to leave India.
Even though the ban did not apply to movies that had already been made, the director of the upcoming Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Karan Johar, made a video diary declaring his love for India, and agreeing not to work with Pakistani artists again in the future. Some used the conversation about Mysore Pak to poke gentle fun at Johar's capitulation.
As an Indian from Tamilnadu I swear I'll never eat Mysore Pak ever again. Until we get Cauvery and Akhand Bharat is a restored. #JeSuisKJo
— Anamika (@NameFieldmt) October 18, 2016
It is unlikely that the clarion call to boycott various sweets will be heeded in India, a country known for its sweet tooth.
@smritikak r they plg to ban karachi biscuit also? what about mysore pak? pic.twitter.com/rdaL2KZj1l
— sunderarajan (@ndpsr) October 17, 2016