Member of Parliament and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared an unusual and “extraordinary experience” involving a monkey. The Thiruvananthapuram MP recounted the unique and heartwarming encounter, which took place on Wednesday when he was enjoying a peaceful morning in his garden.
“Had an extraordinary experience today,” Mr Tharoor wrote on X. While reading the morning newspapers, a monkey wandered into the garden and headed straight for the MP. Without hesitation, the primate jumped onto his lap and “hungrily ate a couple of bananas” offered by Mr Tharoor.
The 68-year-old said the monkey then “hugged me and proceeded to rest his head on my chest and dozed off.” As he gently tried to rise, the monkey “leapt off and loped away.”
Photos shared alongside the post show the monkey sitting on Mr Tharoor’s lap. Some pictures showed the monkey eating a banana, while others captured the sweet moment the animal rested on him.
“Reverence for wildlife is ingrained in us,” he shared in a follow-up post. Despite his initial concern about the risk of a monkey bite – which could have required rabies shots – he remained calm and welcomed its presence as non-threatening.
“I am gratified that my faith was borne out, and our encounter was entirely peaceful and gentle,” he concluded.
Reverence for wildlife is ingrained in us, so though i was a bit concerned about the risk of a monkey-bite (which would have necessitated rabies shots), I stayed calm and welcomed his presence as non-threatening. I am gratified that my faith was borne out and our encounter was… pic.twitter.com/thT1ep0Cc9
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 4, 2024
The internet found this encounter incredibly sweet.
A user wrote, “That’s really very sweet. One usually hears of more problematic encounters with urban monkeys.”
That’s really very sweet. One usually hears of more problematic encounters with urban monkeys
— Gargi Rawat (@GargiRawat) December 4, 2024
Another commented, “When even the wildlife trusts Dr.Shashi Tharoor’s calm demeanor! Magic happens always when Dr.Tharoor is around !”
When even the wild life trusts Dr.Shashi Tharoor’s calm demeanor ! Magic happens always when Dr.Tharoor is around !
— Dr.Shylaja C V (@shylaja_c) December 4, 2024
“That’s an amazing picture. Never seen anything like that,” a comment read.
That’s an amazing picture. Never seen anything like that.
— Sunil M. Caleb سنیل کا؛لب सुनील केलब (@SunilCaleb) December 4, 2024
Known for his engaging presence on social media, Mr Tharoor has also recently voiced his frustration over his stagnant follower count on X, which has been stuck at 8.4 million for years. Despite a steady increase in followers, his total never rose above 8.495 million.
Mr Tharoor speculated it could be due to an algorithm glitch or “shadow-banning.” He even wrote to X owner Elon Musk about the issue but received a response from the Tesla CEO’s lawyer, who denied there was any issue on their end.
