Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, widely known for his sophisticated vocabulary and command over English, found himself at the center of an unexpected linguistic debate following his birthday message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While Tharoor frequently makes headlines when readers look up rare words from his posts, this particular occasion turned heads because of an apparent grammatical slip in a straightforward greeting.
The Core of the Birthday Greetings
On September 17, Tharoor extended his felicitations to Prime Minister Modi on reaching his 76th birthday milestone. The message carried warm sentiments, wishing the Prime Minister fine days ahead, alongside a healthy and deeply satisfying year. Tharoor also voiced hope for the uninterrupted continuation of Modi's dedicated public service to the nation. While the underlying tone was entirely cordial and constructive, the opening phrasing drew immediate scrutiny.
Grammatical Slip Between In and On
The sentence that sparked wide interest opened with greetings addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the phrase 'in his 76th birthday'. Conventional English usage dictates that events marking a specific day or date, such as a birthday, call for the preposition 'on' rather than 'in'. The expected phrasing among grammarians and everyday speakers alike would have been 'on his birthday'. This subtle deviation was promptly spotted by users browsing the post on X.
Online Reactions and Follow-up Response
Within moments of publishing, the greeting attracted a flurry of commentary across X. Several readers pointed to the line as a grammatical mistake, while others defended it as nothing more than a routine typing oversight that could happen to anyone drafting a quick update. The engagement escalated further and gained even more traction once Tharoor himself stepped in to acknowledge the discussion and address the reason behind the phrasing.
