Jaipur, May 23 — In response to escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan, several sweet shops across Jaipur have begun renaming traditional delicacies to reflect national sentiment. The most talked-about change is the renaming of the beloved sweet Mysore Pak to Mysore Shree.
Sweet shop owners say the move is a symbolic gesture aimed at distancing their products from anything resembling the word “Pak,” which they claim is being misunderstood by customers in the current climate.
“We don’t want people to associate anything sweet with a country that has been causing pain,” said a shopkeeper in Johari Bazaar. “By calling it Mysore Shree, we preserve the heritage of the sweet while expressing patriotism.”
The decision comes amid a broader wave of public sentiment calling for economic and cultural disengagement from Pakistan, following ongoing cross-border tensions. While Mysore Pak is a traditional South Indian sweet with no real link to Pakistan—the name comes from the city of Mysuru and the Kannada word “Pak”, meaning sugar syrup—some business owners feel the word “Pak” itself is creating confusion.
The rebranding is currently limited to a few shops in Rajasthan, but social media reactions suggest the trend might spread to other regions. Some netizens have praised the move as a form of soft protest, while others question whether renaming an unrelated sweet achieves anything meaningful.
Cultural experts point out that such changes often emerge during periods of heightened nationalism. “Renaming food items is not new in India,” said a professor of sociology from Jaipur University. “It reflects how deeply politics and identity can shape even our everyday choices.”
Whether Mysore Shree will become a permanent fixture or just a temporary name change remains to be seen. For now, Jaipur’s sweet lovers appear divided—some appreciating the symbolic stand, others simply missing the traditional name they grew up with.
