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

An Indian Food Festival in Shanghai showcased India's culinary heritage, featuring traditional dishes and a gathering of diplomats, business leaders, and locals.

Indian Consul General Pratik Mathur (right), seen here with his Singapore counterpart Chua Teng Hoe, called the 'flying naan' (left) an "eternal favorite".

Source : X/@IndiaInShanghai

The aroma of spices and the spectacle of “flying naan” 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.

Timed during a week of deepening bilateral goodwill — marked by warm exchanges between Presidents Xi Jinping and Droupadi Murmu on the 75th year of diplomatic ties — the festival drew a diverse crowd, including top international diplomats. Among them were US Consul General Scott Walker, Russian Consul General Dmitrii Aleksiev, Singapore’s Lee Chok Tsie, and Malaysia’s Syed Ali.

The festival venue was an Indian restaurant, Masala Mantra.

“The flying naan remains the eternal favorite,” noted the Indian Consulate’s official post on X, formerly Twitter, referring to the dramatic tossing of naan bread, a highlight that blends tradition with showmanship.

Masala Magic - The Spring of India's Culinary Soft Power 🇮🇳🌎💪

CG @PratikMathur1 hosted an 🇮🇳 food festival at the restaurant Masala Mantra in Shanghai this week, showcasing the diversity and richness of #IndianCuisine.

The festival saw wide participation by the diplomatic… pic.twitter.com/6TpDwYDi1j

— India In Shanghai (@IndiaInShanghai) April 3, 2025

The festival featured a spread from across India — 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.

This culinary diplomacy effort follows Consul General Mathur’s earlier cultural engagements in Shanghai, including a February visit to the Jing’an Temple, establishing India’s cultural presence in China’s major cities.

On March 30, 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 Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative, drew a record audience.

Organised by the Indian Embassy with ICCR and Chaiti Foundation, the event highlighted growing India-China cultural ties.

Spring is in the air! 🦚🎉✨🇮🇳

Indian music conquers all boundaries! 🎶 💪🙏🏼

Telling the story of New India through our soft power 🇮🇳 🌎 🌉

A full house audience, largest ever in #Shanghai for an Indian cultural recital, listened with rapt attention to a superb rendition of… pic.twitter.com/RQUWfgifRk

— India In Shanghai (@IndiaInShanghai) March 30, 2025