Shashi Tharoor’s stumble in Parliament sparks debate on phone use while climbing stairs

Hyderabad/New Delhi: The viral video of senior Congress politician Shashi Tharoor tripping while descending a staircase is a chilling reminder of the modern epidemic, ‘distracted walking.’

While the MP fortunately escaped serious injury, the incident has ignited a crucial conversation about how our brains handle—or fail to handle—multitasking.

One misstep, one heavy lesson

It was just another busy afternoon in Parliament and with the phone pressed to his ear, MP Shashi Tharoor was doing what millions of us do daily - walking down a staircase engrossed in a conversation.

A missed step, a loss of balance and a sudden fall. This wasn’t a case of clumsiness; it was a cognitive overload. As the video circulated, medical experts stepped in to explain that the brain is simply not wired to process the complex mechanics of ‘stair-walking' and ‘phone-talking’ simultaneously.

Why did this happen?

Dr Sudhir Kumar, a senior consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, explains the science behind the slip, “Some of the worst head injuries I see come from simple falls, not big accidents. Your brain can focus on movement or on your phone—not both safely.”

According to Dr Kumar, when you go downstairs, your brain is performing high-speed calculations involving depth perception, balance and foot placement. When a phone call is added to the mix, your reaction time drops, and your brain’s ability to make ‘split-second corrections’ vanishes.

The fall crisis in India

Shashi Tharoor is far from alone. Distracted walking and climbing have become a silent crisis across Indian cities.

How many are ‘phone-walking’?

While specific data for stair-climbing is still emerging, studies on pedestrian behaviour in India show a dangerous trend of widespread distraction. Recent surveys indicate that nearly 30-40 per cent of pedestrians in major Indian metros are distracted by mobile phones while crossing roads or walking in public spaces.

Age factor

Among young adults and students (aged 18-25), the prevalence of ‘problematic smartphone use’ is as high as 44 per cent, leading to frequent ‘near-miss’ incidents on staircases and sidewalks.

Falls are a significant but often under-reported cause of trauma in the country, as the data according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and medical trauma studies, ‘falls’ account for a staggering 5 to 7 per cent of all accidental deaths in India annually.

Injury count

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalised every year due to falls. In 2025 alone, experts at the Conclave of Medical Emergency and Trauma (COMET) noted that nearly 30 per cent of trauma cases arriving at emergency rooms were linked to mobile phone distractions.

How to protect your brain

The ‘simplest safety hack’ is often the hardest to follow in our fast-paced world, but it is life-saving:

The 5-Second Rule: Before stepping onto a staircase or crossing a road, pause the call or stop walking to send that text.

The Railing Rule: Always keep one hand free to hold the railing.

Visual Priority: Your eyes must remain on the steps, not the screen.

These are very important as a slip and fall can lead to severe brain injury and death.