Why PM Modi Gifted Thekua to Slovakia’s Speaker — And What It Means

A month ago, PM Narendra Modi walked into Bratislava carrying something from Bihar.

Not a silk carpet. Not a formal state artefact. A box of thekua, the handmade wheat and jaggery sweet from Mithila that most of the world has never heard of, was presented to Richard Raši, Speaker of Slovakia’s National Council, during India’s first Prime Ministerial visit to the country since its independence in 1993.

Today, a month later, Raši posted a video of himself opening the box and tasting one.

“They are called thekua,” he said, holding a piece up to the camera, “and they remind me a little bit of our traditional Slovak biscuits, the ones our mothers used to make.”

That line landed somewhere specific for me. Because that is exactly what thekua is. The thing our mothers made. The thing that sat in the kitchen. Not a festival occasion. Just food.

What Happened

PM Modi’s European tour ran from June 14 to June 16, 2026. In Bratislava, he met President Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister Robert Fico, and Speaker Richard Raši. He also received Slovakia’s highest civilian honour, the Order of the White Double Cross.

The gifts he carried were a curated portrait of Indian craft and heritage: a Kalamkari Mahabharata painting from Andhra Pradesh. A Pochampally silk stole. A Kashmiri carpet. A Brass Dokra Antelope Set. A Himroo silk tie. And to Speaker Raši specifically, a handcrafted wooden box containing thekua.

Raši’s unboxing video, posted on his official X account on July 15, went viral across Indian media today. In it, he opens four cloth bags nested inside the wooden box, pulls out a metal container, lifts the lid, and picks up a piece. He takes a bite. He speaks in Slovak, an English translation runs alongside, describing the moment as one of those small diplomatic gestures that bring people closer.

“Diplomacy is also about the small gestures,” he wrote in his caption. “During Modi’s visit to Slovakia, I received traditional Thekua from Bihar and presented him with Slovak spa wafers inscribed in Hindi. Such moments strengthen the ties between our countries.”

Why Thekua Specifically

The question every journalist covering the story has circled is the same one: among all the things India could have sent, and the list of gifts was impressive, why did thekua go to the Speaker?

Thekua is made from whole wheat flour, jaggery, and ghee. No preservatives. No refrigeration required. It lasts 90 days in an airtight container. It was the food packed for long journeys across Bihar and Mithila precisely because it travelled without spoiling, exactly what a diplomatic gift needs to do. It crossed a continent in a wooden box and arrived intact, ready to be eaten a month later.

But the deeper answer is what Raši said. What he said was: it reminds me of what my mother used to make.

That is not a coincidence. Thekua is made from ingredients every kitchen in every culture recognises: wheat, sugar, fat. The specific form is Mithila’s. The instinct behind it is universal. A homemaker pressing dough into a mould to make something that keeps for months and travels without spoiling, that story isn’t only Bihar’s.

What It Means for Mithila

For a food that has spent most of the last three decades retreating from everyday life into festival-only occasions, being chosen as a state diplomatic gift is not a small thing.

Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary called it “a matter of pride and honour for the state.” That’s true. But it’s more specifically a matter of pride for Mithila — the cultural region that has been making thekua since long before the administrative state of Bihar existed.

The food was always good enough to represent India at any table. Modi put it there. What Raši did this week, tasting it on camera, describing how it reminded him of his mother, was receive it exactly as it was intended. As food, not as a diplomatic object.

One Thing Worth Clarifying

Several news reports describe the thekua gifted by Modi as containing fennel seeds. This is a common variation — some recipes from other parts of Bihar use saunf. In the authentic Mithila version, the fourth ingredient is dried grated coconut, not fennel. Different kitchens, different traditions. All of them thekua. Read more about what authentic Mithila thekua is made from →

If You Want to Try What Slovakia Just Did

The Thekua Company makes handmade thekua from Mithila — chakki atta, block jaggery, desi ghee, dried coconut. Every batch is made fresh after your order and ships pan-India with a 90-day shelf life.

Richard Raši received his in a wooden box. Yours comes in an airtight glass jar. The thekua inside is the same.

250g Everyday Pack — ₹229 →

What is thekua? The full story →

Why thekua makes a better gift than anything in a box →