'Mysore Pak’ to ‘Mysore Shree’; Indian shops rename desserts amid Pakistan phobia

Several sweet shops across India have begun renaming their desserts by removing the suffix ‘Pak’ due to its association with Pakistan and replacing it with ‘Shree’.  A dessert named ‘Mysore Pak’ has been renamed to ‘Mysore Shree’, highlighting the growing hyper-nationalism in India.

According to Indian media, the proprietor of Tyohaar Sweets, Anjali Jain, spearheaded the campaign.

Sweet names like Gond Pak, Aam Pak and Moti Pak have been renamed Gond Shree, Aam Shree, and Moti Shree.

Tyohaar sweets even changed its most exclusive creations Swarn Bhasm Pak and Chani Bhasm Pak into Swarn Shree and Chandi Shree.

According to details, ‘Pak’ or ‘Paka’ in Kannada refers to a sweet mixture or a sweet syrup. Mysore Pak was named for its origin in the city of Mysore, Karnataka, and essentially means sweet syrup from Mysore.

The act of changing the sweets' name led many social media users to take a jibe at the Pakistan phobia. A user took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Sorry for the guy whose name is DeePak.” Another social media user wrote, “All people with names Pushpak, Roopak, and Champak be like, ‘Oh good god’.”

One of the users mocked the act of rebranding the sweets' name, writing, “Let us delete the alphabet P,A,K from everywhere, even from laptops and phones' dictionary.”

A netizen said, “The word Shah means king in Iran and Muslims. So, Amit shah [India’s Home Minister] should also change his name.” Another quipped, “Before: Khaana Pak gaya kyaa, After: Khaana shree hogaya gaya kyaa.”

The renaming comes weeks after Workers of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vandalised Karachi Bakery in Hyderabad over its name.

According to The Wire, the vandals wore saffron shawls, stepped on Pakistani flags, and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans. CCTV footage showed them hitting the bakery’s sign with sticks, to target the word ‘Karachi’.

The bakery has been a renowned establishment in Hyderabad since 1953 and its name refers to the founder’s hometown prior to partition, said The Wire.