Kerala girl surprises Shashi Tharoor with tongue twister

A 15-year-old girl from Idukki district in Kerala has surprised even Congress leader Shashi Tharoor by presenting tongue-twisting words with ease and even introducing a long word that Tharoor, who is known for using long words, was quite unfamiliar with.

Diya Teresa Binoy hailing for Parathodu near Adimanly in the hilly district had even become a sensation among the English language lovers as she presented the tongue-twisting words with ease.

The tenth-standard student of De Paul Public School at Rajamudi in the district is giving credits to her immense vocabulary skills to her love for reading and the support she has been receiving from parents and teachers.

It was during an online programme organised by an FM radio recently that Diya could interact with Tharoor, which has been her long-pending desire. Tharoor’s vocabulary and usage of tongue-twisting words like floccinaucinihilipilification had enhanced her desire to look for lengthy words and pronunciation.

‘Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphiokarabomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon’ was the 183 letter word, which is a fictional dish, that Diya pronounced with ease and surprised Tharoor.

Tharoor tweeted: "Wonderful story of brilliant 10th-grader Diya, who has mastered tongue-twisting English words I've never heard of."

Diya told DH that she found the word and learnt its pronunciation herself after referring to many books and doing research. “I developed a love towards English from the age of ten and I had read a range of books. It indeed helped me improve my vocabulary,” she said.

Diya, daughter of a small scale businessman Binoy Cyriac, is ambitious of becoming an Indian Foreign Service officer. Diya's vocabulary skills assume more significance as she hailed from Idukki, which has a general perception of a backward district.