Congress chief Shashi Tharoor on Friday clarified his use of the phrase “drama” in a submit on the Nepal flash floods, saying he had used it within the sense of “a state, scenario or collection of occasions involving intensely clashing forces”. He additionally mentioned he regretted selecting a phrase that could possibly be so simply “misinterpreted”.
The clarification got here a day after Tharoor confronted criticism on social media for saying he had been “blissfully unaware of the drama that had taken place in the hills” whereas referring to the catastrophe in Nepal. A number of customers referred to as the wording insensitive and questioned his selection of phrases.
In a submit on X, the Thiruvananthapuram MP mentioned, “For all these fulminating in outrage about my use of the phrase ‘drama’ in my first tweet from Nepal, the phrase doesn’t solely imply one thing theatrical. It is usually outlined as ‘a state, scenario or collection of occasions involving intensely clashing forces’.” He added, “That is the sense through which I supposed it. However I do remorse the selection of a phrase that could possibly be so simply misinterpreted.”
Tharoor’s remarks got here after his Thursday submit on the Nepal flash floods drew sharp reactions on-line. In that submit, he had mentioned, “Took off for Kathmandu yesterday, blissfully unaware of the drama that had taken place within the hills and triggered such catastrophic harm.”
He additionally wrote, “A extreme, sudden flash flood struck northern Nepal’s Rasuwa district close to the Tibet border, inflicting widespread destruction alongside the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. International warming and/or an earthquake in Tibet could have triggered a big chunk of a glacier to interrupt off and fall into the valley under, consultants surmise.”
Tharoor had mentioned he learnt on arrival concerning the lack of life and that some 2,000 or extra folks have been estimated to be lacking. He mentioned raging floodwaters had destroyed not less than 19 motorable bridges, washed away roughly 40 kilometres of the Betrawati Rasuwagadhi freeway, and closely broken eight operational hydropower tasks.
He had additionally mentioned, “I totally help the Indian authorities’s quick pledge of aid help. Nepal wants all the assistance it will possibly get.” In the identical submit, he added, “My coronary heart goes out to the victims and their family members, who embody giant numbers of Indian vacationers, together with 100 performing the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. Prayers for the lacking; could they be rescued quickly.”
Regardless of that broader message, many customers targeted on his wording. One consumer mentioned, “Was nature’s fury a ‘drama’? How are you going to be so insensitive in your selection of phrases? What good is figuring out the dictionary if you do not know what to say when? Your ‘sympathy’ looks like the drama right here!”
One other wrote, “Sir, you’re Shakespeare of Indian English. Is the utilization of the phrase DRAMA within the second sentence of the primary para acceptable?” A 3rd consumer referred to as it a “poor selection of phrases for somebody with such a wealthy vocabulary”.
One other submit mentioned, “Mr Exasperating Farrago — Is that this ‘drama’?” whereas yet another consumer wrote, “Drama?? You’re a wordsmith, and that is what you got here up with?”
Tharoor has now defended the supposed that means of the phrase whereas accepting that it could possibly be misunderstood, after his submit on the Nepal flash floods triggered a backlash and debate over his selection of language.
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