Shashi Tharoor clarifies ‘drama’ remark in post on Nepal floods

PTI, August 28, 2026, New Delhi: Panned for using the word "drama" in a post on the Nepal flash floods, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday clarified that the term is also defined as "a state, situation or series of events involving intensely clashing forces" and that is the sense in which he intended it.

Tharoor, however, said he regrets the choice of a word that could be so easily "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 said.

His remarks came a day after he was panned for describing the Nepal flash floods as "drama that had taken place in the hills" and overlooking the nuance of the words.

The comment led to a veritable backlash on social media, with one post questioning the "poor choice of words for someone with such a rich vocabulary" and others labelling him insensitive.

Expressing concern over the disaster in an X post on Thursday, Tharoor said, "Took off for Kathmandu yesterday, blissfully unaware of the drama that had taken place in the hills and caused such catastrophic damage."

He went on to say, "A severe, sudden flash flood struck northern Nepal's Rasuwa district near the Tibet border, causing widespread destruction along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. Global warming and/or an earthquake in Tibet may have caused a large chunk of a glacier to break off and fall into the valley below, experts surmise."

The Thiruvananthapuram MP had said he learned on arrival about the loss of life and the fact that some 2,000 or more people are estimated to be missing.

Raging floodwaters destroyed at least 19 motorable bridges, washed away roughly 40 kilometres of the Betrawati Rasuwagadhi highway, and heavily damaged eight operational hydropower projects, Tharoor had said.

"I fully support the Indian government's immediate pledge of relief assistance. Nepal needs all the help it can get," he had said.

"My heart goes out to the victims and their loved ones, who include large numbers of Indian tourists, including a hundred performing the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. Prayers for the missing; may they be rescued soon," the Congress leader had said.

Notwithstanding the larger message, many social media users picked on his use of words, "blissfully unaware of the drama that had taken place in the hills".

"Was nature's fury a 'drama'? How can you be so insensitive in your choice of words? What good is knowing the dictionary if you don't know what to say when? Your 'sympathy' seems like the drama here!" a user said.

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

An X user said the use of "unaware of the drama" was a "poor choice of words for someone with such a rich vocabulary".

"Mr Exasperating Farrago -- Is this 'drama'?" a user asked, recalling the rare word 'farrago' -- which means a 'confused mixture' -- that the wordsmith-author-politician introduced to the people's daily lexicon.

"Drama?? You are a wordsmith, and this is what you came up with?" another post read.