Shashi Tharoor turns 70: A political journey defined by words, questions and resilience

Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor turned 70 on Monday, drawing birthday wishes from politicians, writers, and citizens across the country. Tharoor kept things characteristically understated, telling a television channel the day would be "yet another usual working day" and adding with a smile, "I have become a senior citizen. That's the big news."

Born on March 9, 1956 in London, Tharoor traces his roots to Kerala's Palakkad district. He earned a doctorate in diplomacy and international relations before joining the United Nations, where he spent nearly three decades , rising to Under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information . In 2006, he contested for the post of UN Secretary General , narrowly losing to Ban Ki-moon but gaining considerable international recognition. Back home, he became affectionately known as a "vishwa pauran" , global citizen.

After leaving the UN, Tharoor joined the Indian National Congress and won the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in 2009, a constituency he has held for three consecutive terms since. During the UPA government, he served as Minister of State for External Affairs from 2009 to 2010 , championing public diplomacy and digital outreach initiatives, before resigning following the IPL Kochi franchise controversy . He returned to government as Minister of State for Human Resource Development from 2012 to 2014 , focusing on education policy and digital learning.

The most difficult period of his life came in January 2014 with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar at a Delhi hotel under unclear circumstances. The case led to years of investigation and legal proceedings. Tharoor was charged but consistently maintained his innocence, and in 2021 a Delhi court discharged him of all charges for want of sufficient evidence.

Within Parliament, Tharoor served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology , where he summoned major social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Google, examining content moderation, data privacy, and misinformation. As an opposition MP, he has questioned the Modi government on demonetisation, the Citizenship Amendment Act, unemployment, press freedom , and India's foreign policy positions on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In 2020, he was among the G23 signatories who wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi seeking internal party reforms. In 2022, he contested the Congress presidential election against Mallikarjun Kharge, losing heavily but drawing attention to the importance of genuine internal democracy within the party.

Tharoor is equally known for his social media presence, where his posts have repeatedly made national news. His 2009 "cattle class" tweet , describing economy air travel while serving as a minister, triggered a political controversy that nearly cost him his position. His frequent use of rare vocabulary, "farrago," "floccinaucinihilipilification," "rodomontade", has made him a cultural fixture online. His 2017 Oxford Union speech arguing that Britain owes India reparations for colonial rule went viral globally, drawing over fifty million views and responses from British politicians and historians alike.

Beyond politics, Tharoor is one of India's most prolific political writers. His books include The Great Indian Novel, An Era of Darkness, Inglorious Empire, Why I Am a Hindu , and Nehru: The Invention of India, among others.

This year, his birthday coincided with India's victory in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 . Tharoor described the win as a "terrific birthday present" and praised Kerala cricketer Sanju Samson for his standout performances throughout the tournament.

At 70, he remains the sitting MP from Thiruvananthapuram, active across parliamentary work, writing, and public engagement. His career has covered more ground than most, UN diplomat, government minister, opposition parliamentarian, party presidential candidate, and best-selling author. Whatever one makes of his politics, Shashi Tharoor at 70 remains one of the most distinctive and closely watched figures in Indian public life.