Shashi Tharoor Performs Unique Ritual With 2-Year-Old Kerala Boy, Shares Pics

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor who is quite active on Twitter often shares glimpses of his personal life on the microblogging website. On Sunday, he shared a ritual he undertook with a two-and-a-half-year-old boy, who is the son of his Thiruvananthapuram colleague.

Notably, 'Vidyarambham' is a ritual wherein little children in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka are initiated into the world of letters. The ritual is usually conducted on the last day of Navaratri. During the ritual, the parent or the guru makes the child write the words 'Om Shri' on a platter of rice.

''First thing today: my Thiruvananthapuram-based colleague Prakash brought his two-and-a-half-year-old son Anantha Padmanabhan to be initiated into writing, something that normally happens at the annual Vidyarambham day. Since learning should happen every day, I gladly traced “Om Hari Shri” with his finger in three scripts (Malayalam, Sanskrit and English) on a platter of rice grains. He seemed to enjoy it,'' the MP wrote while sharing the picture.

See the tweet here:

First thing today: my Thiruvananthapuram based colleague Prakash brought his two and a half year old son AnanthaPadmanabhan to be initiated into writing, something that normally happens at the annual Vidyarambham day. Since learning should happen every day, I gladly traced “Om… pic.twitter.com/up1xEbUpNx

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 21, 2023

In the pictures, Mr. Tharoor is seen sitting on a chair with a boy named Anantha Padmanabhan in his lap. As part of the ritual, he traced the words ''Om Hari Shri'' on a platter of rice grains in three scripts-Malayalam, Sanskrit and English, while holding the boy's hands.

Twitter users loved the picture and called the boy lucky to be initiated into writing by Mr. Tharoor. 

One user said, ''He and his family must be feeling very blessed.'' Another commented, ''What a lucky boy Anantha Padmanabhan is, to be initiated into writing by you!! Bless Bless. Beautiful moment captured.''

A third said, ''Great start for him….lovely pics…But at two and half? I hope the kid gets to enjoy a few more years of carefree childhood before entering the grind.'' A fourth added, ''This is what is known as tradition. The appropriate way to initiate into education.''