Shashi Tharoor's birthday wish for PM Modi has small grammar slip, internet spots it

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s birthday wish for Prime Minister Narendra Modi had all the usual ingredients: warm greetings, good wishes and a message about public service. There was just one tiny problem: one little word was in the wrong place.

On September 17, Tharoor shared a post on X wishing PM Modi on his 76th birthday. But instead of writing “on his 76th birthday”, he wrote, “in his 76th birthday”, turning what appeared to be a simple preposition slip into the most noticeable part of the message.

“Warm greetings to Prime Minister @narendramodi in his 76th birthday. Wishing him a very happy day and a healthy and fulfilling year ahead. My best wishes to him on this occasion for continued public service to our beloved nation,” Tharoor wrote.

The typo did not escape X users, who were quick to point out the unusual wording. One user noted that there was a difference between a grammatical error and a typo, while another suggested that “I” and “O” being next to each other on a keyboard could explain the slip.

Others simply joked about Tharoor making a grammar mistake, which was deemed unbelievable by them.

But instead of ignoring the comments, Tharoor acknowledged the mistake himself. Responding to one user on Friday, he wrote, “Yea ‘on’ his birthday became ‘in’. This happens all the time, alas.”

The exchange quickly became a light-hearted social media moment, particularly because Shashi Tharoor is widely known for his command of English and his often elaborate vocabulary. This time, however, it was not an unusual word that got people talking, it was simply “in” instead of “on.”- EndsPublished By: Yashna TalwarPublished On: Sep 19, 2026 10:25 IST