
Shashi Tharoor shares his sambhar origin theory, internet says ‘loved his analogy'
Speaking at the South Side Story festival, Tharoor was asked if he enjoyed Delhi's version of the dish. His answer quickly turned into a tale blending culinary history with a dash of humour.
'Look, you guys have to understand that sambhar was invented in the South because of the North,' Tharoor began. 'When the Marathas conquered Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu, they parked Sambhaji as a Maharaja there and he was missing his daal. We didn't have any of his daal stuff in South India, so the cooks tried to approximate something for him that they thought might please his palate — and they named it for him. Sambhar was named for Sambhaji, the Maratha Peshwa of Tanjavur. And that's how it came about.'
With his trademark wit, Tharoor added, 'So whatever you guys do to sambhar can't be worse than what we did to daal.'
Clips of the moment are now circulating online, with social media users reacting with everything from hearty laughs to debates over the authenticity of his theory. Some called it 'classic Tharoor storytelling,' while others called him out for calling Maratha from North India.
A user wrote, 'Just like any South Indian even Maharashtra is North India.'
Another user wrote, 'Marathas were from West not north , but loved his analogy.'
The third user wrote on Instagram, 'Always witty. Love the way he says, every time!'
'Sir needs to know that Maharashtra is in west and not North,' the fourth wrote.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hans India
20 minutes ago
- Hans India
‘Stealing not considered sin but calling someone a thief is': Opposition slams EC over authentication appeal
Congress-led opposition parties hit back at the Election Commission on Sunday, over its appeal to authenticate their "vote chori" claims by filing a supporting affidavit and also termed its elaborate media address on the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) controversy a mere eyewash. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, flanked by senior EC officials, held a press conference in the capital and claimed that deliberate attempts were being made to fearmonger and misguide the voters of Bihar, apparently by opposition parties. It also stated that such fearmongering won't deter it from pursuing and implementing laid-down protocols. Replying to the CEC's presser, Congress accused it of being partisan towards the ruling party, while the RJD said that its clarification was devoid of any substance. Congress leader Pawan Khera, in a strong rebuttal, said: "Stealing is not considered a sin, but calling someone a thief is? Stop the theft, and we will stop calling you thieves. Why hasn't anyone given an account of one lakh votes from Mahadevapura?" Further accusing it breach of privacy, he said: "(BJP leader) Anurag Thakur is carrying digital voter lists of six constituencies—where did he get them from? Isn't that a breach of privacy? Did the Election Commission issue him a notice? No. But when it comes to CCTV footage, you say it violates privacy..." RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said: "No answers were given. Not a single question was answered. Maybe someone told them to hold the press conference because it was becoming embarrassing. So, they went ahead, but what was achieved? Which question did they actually answer? Forget the political parties—the voters are not convinced by your behaviour and conduct." "Logic cannot be used to justify opacity. Opacity means lack of transparency. The biggest concern is that the Election Commission appears neither impartial nor neutral. This should be a matter of serious concern for you." Purnia MP Pappu Yadav said, "The EC has no understanding of the Constitution or Babasaheb's (B.R. Ambedkar) ideas. After indulging in theft and robbery, will they speak about the Constitution?"


The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
BJP leaders to be questioned regarding Suresh Gopi's suspected leopard tooth pendant
At least two BJP leaders, who were seen accompanying Union Minister Suresh Gopi at Thrissur on the day he wore a chain with a pendant made of a suspected leopard tooth, will be summoned for interrogation. The Pattikkad Range Forest Officer is likely to issue notices to the party leaders to record their statements this week on a complaint filed by a Congress worker A.A. Mohamed Hashim. Mr. Hashim had complained that the act of wearing a leopard tooth, a wildlife trophy, was an offence punishable under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The Forest department had recorded the statements of Mr. Hashim in this regard last month. Mr. Hashim, who shared the news video clips of Mr. Gopi walking along the Swaraj Round wearing the suspected wildlife trophy, had identified one of the accompanying persons as K.K. Aneeshkumar, the Thrissur district president of BJP. Though unable to name the other one, the complainant had said he was an identifiable person. In Kannur too He had indicated that the Minister was seen wearing the ornament made out of suspected leopard tooth at a public function in Kannur too. Mr. Hashim, while giving his statement to the department, wanted the suspected ornament to be seized and its period of manufacture ascertained. Information will be sought from the persons who were seen walking along with Mr. Gopi, on whether they had any idea that he was wearing the ornament made of a wildlife trophy. The possible existence of videos or pictures that would give clues on the material constituting the ornament will be explored, since the videos shared by the complainant are insufficient to prove the allegations, sources said. The investigating officer will decide on questioning Mr. Gopi after looking into the statements of the witnesses and the evidence, they said. Meanwhile, the Pattikkad Range Forest officer recently booked a wildlife crime against a person arrested by the Thrissur police for allegedly possessing suspected narcotic substances the other day. A suspected leopard tooth, ivory and a few strands of elephant tail hair were also recovered from the accused. The suspected wildlife trophies would be sent for analysis to ascertain their genuineness. If confirmed, the accused would be prosecuted under the Wildlife Protection Act, sources said.


The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Leak of complaint submitted to CPI(M) Polit Bureau triggers political controversy
A political controversy appears to be brewing over the media leak of a 'confidential complaint' purportedly submitted to the Polit Bureau (PB) of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] by a Kozhikode-based businessperson. The controversial letter reportedly implicated a group of CPI(M) leaders, including former Ministers, in financial scams centred around a U.K.-based businessperson from Kerala. The complaint emerged in the public domain on Sunday after the NRI businessperson adduced it as evidence in a libel suit filed by him against his rival and some sections of the media in a Delhi court. Graft charges The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized on the somewhat knotty controversy riddled with accusations of financial shenanigans, corruption, money laundering and nepotism in an attempt to put the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government on the defensive. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan demanded a clarification from the party and the government on the veracity of the accusations raised by the Kozhikode-based businessperson. Mr. Satheesan said the crux of the litigation appeared to be bitter feuding between two business rivals for the patronage of powerful CPI(M) leaders. He noted financial transactions involving the next of kin of CPI(M) leaders might be at the root of the scandal. Nevertheless, Mr. Satheesan stated, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan owed the public an explanation. He said the presence of the U.K.-based businessperson at the CPI(M)'s 24th party conference in Madurai in April, and his attendance at the Kerala Loka Sabha conference added to the political intrigue. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph, MLA, stated that the sensational leak was mystifying and appeared to signal that 'something was rotten' in the CPI(M) 's State leadership. He said the scandal had the contours of official corruption with international ramifications and hidden rivalries within the CPI(M) leadership. Mr. Joseph demanded an investigation. 'Calls for inquiry' BJP former State president K. Surendran said the accuser had alleged in the letter that the NRI businessperson's paper company registered in Chennai had profited from government projects. 'If the accusations are true, they warranted an inquiry under the anti-money laundering and foreign exchange management laws,' he said. The CPI(M) was yet to formally react to the BJP and Congress's accusations.