Digital
Why OpenAI is hiring 100 ex-bankers: Inside the ChatGPT-maker's secret project to automate Wall Street's grunt work
Swiggy delivers idlis to Shashi Tharoor after viral social media praise
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s viral social media praise of idlis as a “culinary masterpiece” prompted Swiggy to deliver freshly prepared idlis to his residence, turning his online ode into a real-life gastronomic gesture.
Swiggy accompanied the delivery with a message in Hindi, noting the delight of serving “Shri Tharoor Ji the region's finest idli” and hoping that the experience brought him “to a state of supreme bliss.”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor found himself the recipient of a unique culinary tribute after his impassioned defence of idlis went viral online. The Thiruvananthapuram parliamentarian had taken to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to a user who called the steamed delicacy “steamed regret,” offering instead a poetic appreciation of the dish.
“A truly great idli is a cloud, a whisper, a perfect dream of the perfectibility of human civilisation,” Tharoor wrote, comparing the soft rice-and-lentil morsels to a Beethoven symphony, a Tagore sangeet, a Husain painting, and a Tendulkar century. His elaborate praise quickly captured the attention of netizens, sparking memes, retweets, and widespread commentary.
Poor soul has clearly never had a good one. A truly great idli is a cloud, a whisper, a perfect dream of the perfectibility of human civilisation. It's a sublime creation, a delicate, weightless morsel of rice and lentil, steamed to an ethereal fluffiness that melts on the… https://t.co/J4NE2ddgua
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 27, 2025
In response, Swiggy decided to turn words into action. On Sunday, delivery personnel and employees arrived at Tharoor’s residence bearing freshly prepared idlis. A photograph shared on X showed the MP posing with the team and the parcels, a symbol of culinary diplomacy between a food delivery platform and a celebrated foodie-politician.
यह हमारे लिए अत्यंत हर्ष का विषय है कि हमें श्री थरूर जी को क्षेत्र की सर्वश्रेष्ठ इडली परोसने का अवसर प्राप्त हुआ। हमारी आशा है कि हमारी टोली उनके स्वादेंद्रियों को तृप्त करने में सफल रही होगी तथा इन पाक-कला के अनुपम चमत्कारों से उन्हें परमानंद की स्थिति मिली होगी। https://t.co/oTaJ2Ykrsn pic.twitter.com/PifmOlitQF
— Swiggy Food (@Swiggy) September 28, 2025
Swiggy accompanied the delivery with a message in Hindi, noting the delight of serving “Shri Tharoor Ji the region's finest idli” and hoping that the experience brought him “to a state of supreme bliss.”
Tharoor has long expressed his appreciation for the South Indian breakfast classic, previously sharing his fondness for idli breakfasts during a stay in Vienna, where he visited #Prosi restaurant daily.
SPOTLIGHT
From Delhi’s sharp-tongued lyricists to Chennai’s bilingual innovators and North-East India’s experimental beatmakers, Rap 91 LIVE’s lineup was a sonic map of the country’s cultural diversity.
Read MoreEnd of the Old Guard? Publicis outperforms, WPP declines, Havas rises, Omnicom readies IPG merger
As WPP reels from revenue declines and vows sweeping restructuring, Publicis and Havas ride strong AI-led client demand. With Omnicom and IPG on the cusp of a historic merger, the global advertising landscape braces for a power realignment built on data, technology, and efficiency.