Shashi Tharoor, an Indian Member of Parliament belonging to the Congress party, recently sparked heated online debates by committing a grammar mistake in an open message of greeting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. Famous for a wide range of sophisticated vocabulary and fluent mastery of English, the politician mistakenly used the preposition “in” instead of “on” and triggered an instant response from the audience online.
The case of a preposition error on birthday
The mistake in the usage occurred while posting a standard birthday greeting.
Original text: Tharoor wrote, “Warm greetings to Prime Minister @narendramodi in his 76th birthday,” instead of the expected “on.”
The online community’s response: Sharp-eared people did not miss the opportunity and immediately started sending their comments to Tharoor, showing their disbelief that such a famous lexicophile had made a typo.
Politician’s reply: Instead of simply ignoring the jokes, the politician himself joined the discussion by writing, “Yea ‘on’ his birthday became ‘in’. This happens all the time, alas”.
An online moment of lightness
Although politics-based discussions tend to get heated very quickly, the little grammar debate provided a unique chance for a light conversation.
Keyboard quirks: Followers suggested that minor smartphone typos or proximity errors between keys likely triggered the accidental keystroke.
Enduring reputation: Despite the slip, social media users good-naturedly ribbed the senior politician, proving that even masters of the English language are vulnerable to everyday typos.



