‘Happens all the time alas’: Shashi Tharoor after user flags grammar goof up in PM Modi birthday wish

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday acknowledged a grammatical error in his birthday greeting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi after an X user pointed out his mistake.

Tharoor had extended his birthday wishes to Modi on Thursday. However, in his message, the Thiruvananthapuram MP wrote “in his 76th birthday” instead of the grammatically correct phrase “on his 76th birthday”. The error quickly caught the attention of social media users, with one X user calling out the Congress leader over the wording.

The Congress leader, who is known for his command of the English language and use of complex vocabulary, responded to the criticism the following day. An X user had highlighted the error, writing, “Shashi ji made a grammar mistake !!! even if it is fat finger !!!”

Acknowledging the mistake, Tharoor replied, “Yea “on” his birthday became “in”. This happens all the time alas.”

The grammar-related exchange comes after Tharoor faced criticism last month over his use of the word “drama” in a post about the flash floods in Nepal.

Tharoor's clarification over ‘drama’

The Congress leader had expressed concern over the disaster after arriving in Kathmandu, where he said he learned about the loss of life and the fact that around 2,000 or more people were estimated to be missing.

In his initial post on X, Tharoor wrote, “Took off for Kathmandu yesterday, blissfully unaware of the drama that had taken place in the hills and caused such catastrophic damage.”

The reference to the disaster as “drama” drew criticism from social media users, with some questioning the choice of words given the severity of the situation.

One user wrote, “Drama?? You are a wordsmith, and this is what you came up with?”

Another user asked, “Sir, you are Shakespeare of Indian English. Is the usage of the word DRAMA in the second sentence of the first para appropriate?”

Tharoor subsequently explained that he had used the word in a different sense, referring to a situation involving conflicting forces, while also acknowledging that the wording could be misinterpreted.

"For all those fulminating in outrage about my use of the word 'drama' in my first tweet from Nepal, the word does not only mean something theatrical. It is also defined as 'a state, situation or series of events involving intensely clashing forces'," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said on X.

"That's the sense in which I intended it. But I do regret the choice of a word that could be so easily misinterpreted," Tharoor had said.