‘Flying Naan’ And Masala: India’s Culinary Soft Power On Display In Shanghai — WATCH

<p>The aroma of spices and the spectacle of &ldquo;flying naan&rdquo; captivated guests at a vibrant Indian Food Festival held this week in Shanghai. Hosted by Indian Consul General Pratik Mathur, the event showcased India’s rich culinary heritage as a tool of soft power and diplomacy.</p>
<p>Timed during a week of deepening bilateral goodwill &mdash; marked by warm exchanges between Presidents Xi Jinping and <a title=”Droupadi Murmu” href=”https://news.abplive.com/topic/droupadi-murmu” data-type=”interlinkingkeywords”>Droupadi Murmu</a> on the 75th year of diplomatic ties &mdash; the festival drew a diverse crowd, including top international diplomats. Among them were US Consul General Scott Walker, Russian Consul General Dmitrii Aleksiev, Singapore&rsquo;s Lee Chok Tsie, and Malaysia&rsquo;s Syed Ali.</p>
<p>The festival venue was an Indian restaurant, Masala Mantra.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The flying naan remains the eternal favorite,&rdquo; noted the Indian Consulate&rsquo;s official post on X, formerly Twitter, referring to the dramatic tossing of naan bread, a highlight that blends tradition with showmanship.</p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>Masala Magic – The Spring of India’s Culinary Soft Power 🇮🇳🌎💪<br /><br />CG <a href=”https://twitter.com/PratikMathur1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@PratikMathur1</a> hosted an 🇮🇳 food festival at the restaurant Masala Mantra in Shanghai this week, showcasing the diversity and richness of <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianCuisine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#IndianCuisine</a>. <br /><br />The festival saw wide participation by the diplomatic&hellip; <a href=”https://t.co/6TpDwYDi1j”>pic.twitter.com/6TpDwYDi1j</a></p>
&mdash; India In Shanghai (@IndiaInShanghai) <a href=”https://twitter.com/IndiaInShanghai/status/1907663728302309585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>April 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>
<script src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” async=”” charset=”utf-8″></script>
</p>
<p>The festival featured a spread from across India &mdash; North and South Indian dishes, millet-based breads, and vegetarian delights influenced by shared Buddhist heritage. It attracted not only diplomats but also Chinese academics, business leaders, and curious locals, signalling growing people-to-people ties.</p>
<p>This culinary diplomacy effort follows Consul General Mathur&rsquo;s earlier cultural engagements in Shanghai, including a February visit to the Jing&rsquo;an Temple, establishing India&rsquo;s cultural presence in China&rsquo;s major cities.</p>
<p>On March 30,&nbsp;a classical Indian music concert was organised in Shanghai, featuring sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee and Grammy-winning flautist Rakesh Chaurasia. The event, showcasing India’s cultural diplomacy under the <em>Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat</em> initiative, drew a record audience.</p>
<p>Organised by the Indian Embassy with ICCR and Chaiti Foundation, the event highlighted growing India-China cultural ties.</p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>Spring is in the air! 🦚🎉✨🇮🇳 <br /><br />Indian music conquers all boundaries! 🎶 💪🙏🏼<br /><br />Telling the story of New India through our soft power 🇮🇳 🌎 🌉 <br /><br />A full house audience, largest ever in <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Shanghai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Shanghai</a> for an Indian cultural recital, listened with rapt attention to a superb rendition of&hellip; <a href=”https://t.co/RQUWfgifRk”>pic.twitter.com/RQUWfgifRk</a></p>
&mdash; India In Shanghai (@IndiaInShanghai) <a href=”https://twitter.com/IndiaInShanghai/status/1906263415775203775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>
<script src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” async=”” charset=”utf-8″></script>
</p>