Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had a witty exchange of words with author Chetan Bhagat on Twitter. After meeting the parliamentarian, Bhagat shared a selfie with him on the micro-blogging platform and wrote, “India has two kinds of English.1. The @shashitharoor English. 2. The @chetan_bhagat English.”
Tharoor got back with his response, “My dear @chetan_bhagat, it was a pleasure catching up with you at the #ABPIdeasOfIndiaSummit. (Now how would you say that in Chetan Bhagat English?).”
My dear @chetan_bhagat, it was a pleasure catching up with you at the #ABPIdeasOfIndiaSummit. (Now how would you say that in Chetan Bhagat English?) https://t.co/PtyXMgMfEP
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 27, 2022
C’mon shashi Ji, this much English even I understand. Can you give more Shashi Tharoor tadka to this sentence below. Those big long words..maza aaye thoda. https://t.co/oTnuQOfmFI
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 27, 2022
The idea of two kinds of English has struck a chord among netizens as they started talking about the vocabulary of Tharoor and Bhagat.
“Thatoor’s English is for the classes while Chetan’s angrezi is for the masses or one should say cattle class as Tharoor loved to say,” commented a user. Another user wrote, “Two poles of #English in one frame.”
Shashi, please, for the rest of us reading, just tell us in English ;)!
— Rukmini Kumar (@rukminikumar) March 27, 2022
One is english with a dictionary and the other without it.
— anil thomas (@anil317) March 27, 2022
Thatoor’s English is for the classes while Chetan’s angrezi is for the masses or one should say cattle class as Tharoor loved to say
— Sriniwasan (@Gsriniwasan) March 28, 2022
Two poles of #English in one frame
— Vasundhar (@vasundhar) March 27, 2022
You wrote in Chetan Bhagat English
— deep (@ACSI1965) March 27, 2022
Good camaraderie between 2 people with diff views https://t.co/diC9bMZUsi
— Rajesh Gupta (@RajeshG11280635) March 27, 2022
I just can’t stop laughing at this.. absolutely dumbfounded! https://t.co/7uD7rJmKRo
— Roomy Naqvy (@roomynaqvy) March 27, 2022
This is not the first time that a Twitter conversion between the two has grabbed attention online. Earlier, the Thiruvananthapuram MP known for his vocabulary appreciated Bhagat for his article in 2020. Overwhelmed by Tharoor’s remarks, Bhagat wrote, “Ok I still can’t get over this. The @ShashiTharoor has praised @chetanbhagat. I am floating” and requested Tharoor to use “big words” to praise him.
Taking it in his stride, Tharoor tweeted, “Sure, @chetan_bhagat! It’s clear you are not sesquipedalian nor given to rodomontade. Your ideas are unembellished with tortuous convolutions & expressed without ostentation. I appreciate the limpid perspicacity of today’s column.”
In December last year, the Congress leader shared some light-hearted food humour while commenting on a Twitter thread. “As a Southie I would rice to the occasion, provided some-bar wasn’t there,” he tweeted a hilarious food pun.
