Taking sweet revenge: Jaipur shopkeepers drop ‘Pak’ from sweets’ names 

Shakespeare may not have found much in a name but some in this Rajasthan capital could disagree as they tuck into ‘Moti Shree’ instead of ‘Moti Pak’ and ‘Mysore Shree’ not ‘Mysore Pak’ — the sweets the same, the moniker changed in keeping with the anti-Pakistan mood of the times.

The name change is complete in at least three famous confectionaries, which have dropped ‘Pak’ from the entire range of their traditional sweets and replaced it with ‘Shree’ instead.

So, ‘Aam Pak’ is ‘Aam Shree’, ‘Gond Pak’ is ‘Gond Shree’ and so on. Luxury offerings ‘Swarn Bhasm Pak’ and ‘Chandi Bhasm Pak’ have also been rechristened ‘Swarn Shree’ and ‘Chandi Shree’, a move intended as giving expression to the patriotic spirit in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor that struck terror targets in Pakistan.

Anjali Jain, the owner of Tyohaar Sweets, a premium shop known for its elaborate and festive sweet offerings in the city’s Vaishali Nagar area, said their delicacies must also reflect national pride.

“The spirit of patriotism shouldn’t just reside at the border but in every Indian home and heart," Jain told PTI.

The decision, she said, is not about linguistics but sentiment.

“Customers are also appreciating the decision and are happy to see the changed names. We were also not happy after the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor," she added.

Joining the culinary rebranding movement is Bombay Mishthan Bhandar, a decades-old chain of sweet shops in the city, and Agarwal Caterers. All the sweets with the ‘Pak’ suffix have been renamed.

“We wanted to send a clear message — those who dare raise their eyes against India will have their names erased, and every Indian will respond in their own way. This is our sweet, symbolic retaliation," said Bombay Mishthan Bhandar general manager Vineet Trikha.

The name changes have struck an appreciative chord with customers.

In businessman Ramesh Bhatia’s view, every patriotic gesture after the Pahalgam attack now feels personal.

“Changing the names of sweets may seem small, but it’s a powerful cultural response. It shows that even civilians stand united with our forces — from battlefield to sweet shop, the message is clear that India will not forget or forgive,” he said.

Pushpa Kaushik, a retired government teacher, agreed.

“Hearing the ‘Mysore Shree’ name instead of ‘Mysore Pak’, I smiled with pride. After Operation Sindoor, this initiative feels like a sweet salute to our soldiers — simple, symbolic, and heartfelt.”

Some smaller sweet shops in the city have also followed suit.

According to the Rekhta dictionary, the origins of the word ‘pak’ are Persian. It means ‘sweetmeat or confection’ as well as ‘pure, clean and holy’. The Hindi dictionary shabdkosh.com defines ‘pak’ as ‘cookery, cooking, preparation’.

India