Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday, 20 May invoked the popular Hindi proverb 'Parishram hi safalta ki kunji hai' — meaning 'hard work is the key to success' — while addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rome, underscoring the deepening cultural and diplomatic ties between India and Italy.

Meloni's Hindi Moment

Speaking alongside Modi after their bilateral talks, Meloni said: 'There is an Indian word which states that very well, which is Parishram. Parishram, which means hard work and constant commitment, is a word which I know is very often used in India, and it is often used in a very popular way of saying, Parishram hi safalta ki kunji hai, which means hard work is the key to success, and we are used to building our relations in this way, with hard work which becomes success at the end.'

Meloni also expressed gratitude to Modi, stating that his visit to Italy would 'open a new chapter' in bilateral ties and would 'certainly not be the last' in the long journey both nations are building together with commitment and resolve.

Context: Modi's Five-Nation Tour

The Rome meeting forms part of Prime Minister Modi's five-nation visit, which has spotlighted India's expanding diplomatic footprint and the growing resonance of Hindi expressions among world leaders. The tour has been widely noted as a demonstration of India's strengthening soft power outreach on the global stage.

Iceland PM's 'Sambandh' Connection

A day earlier, on Tuesday, a similar linguistic bridge emerged at the third India-Nordic Summit in Oslo. Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir expressed her fondness for the Hindi-Norse cognate 'Sambandh' — meaning connection, relations, or bond — which Modi had repeatedly used in his address to Nordic leaders.

'I love that word, Sambandh. I am not going into depths into other languages here, but this is a purely Icelandic word, and people will be very devoted to this language. Prime Minister Modi, this is what people need; they need more Sambandh today,' Frostadottir said at the joint press meet following the summit.

Modi himself noted the linguistic parallel: 'Today, I used the word Sambandh many times. In several Nordic languages, the word Sambandh means connection, relations, or a bond. In Hindi too, Sambandh carries the same meaning. This is not just a similarity of words; it reflects the closeness of our thoughts.'

What This Signals

The repeated use of Hindi words by foreign heads of government — whether in Oslo or Rome — reflects a deliberate diplomatic signalling that aligns with India's broader push to elevate Hindi on the world stage. Notably, this comes as India has been assertively promoting its cultural identity in multilateral forums. Modi called on leaders to 'deepen the bonds between us in every field and make the India-Nordic partnership a model of shared prosperity, innovation, and a sustainable future.'

As Modi's European leg of the tour concludes, both the Italy and Nordic engagements point to a foreign policy posture that is as much about cultural diplomacy as strategic alignment.