Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his 75th birthday on September 17, 2025. The day before, a chef in Italy made headlines for his special gesture ahead of the occasion. Rome-based chef Valentino Rahim marked PM Modi's milestone birthday with a symbolic culinary tribute. On September 16, at Zoya restaurant, Rahim prepared a unique tricolour pizza made with a millet base. He added toppings in saffron, white, and green, thus mirroring the Indian flag. A video about this delicacy went viral on social media and received a lot of interest.
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Chef Rahim's gesture was also a nod to Modi's global campaign promoting millets, or "Shree Anna," as a nutritious, climate-resilient ingredient. Millets can help in encouraging food security, sustainability, and healthier eating habits. PM Modi and India, in general, have played a central role in reviving millet's global profile over the past few years. The United Nations declared 2023 the International Year of Millets.
In the video, Chef Rahim is seen adding chopped bell peppers and other ingredients as finishing touches for the tricolour pizza. Pepperoni has already been added. The chef praised PM Modi's efforts to promote healthy food. As he transferred the pizza to the oven for baking, he sang a birthday song in Italian, "Tanti Auguri Modi," to convey his greetings. The viral video received many positive reactions online.
#WATCH | “Tanti Auguri Modi”, Italian Chef Valentino Rahim extends birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by preparing a tricolour millets pizza. pic.twitter.com/0dZtFFwFV0— ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2025
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A few days ago, another food-related initiative was launched by PM Modi. He announced the launch of the National Makhana Board in Purnea, Bihar - a move that the government says will support the scale-up of production, processing and export of makhana (fox nuts). PM Modi underlined makhana's potential as a health food and an export commodity. "I eat makhana at least 300 out of 365 days a year. It is a superfood that we must now take to global markets," he had previously said. Read more about the makhana board here.