WordPress Database Error: You have an error in your SQL syntax

When I used a slideshow plugin on AamJanata, I got this error.

WordPress database error: [You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'orderorder` INT(11) NOT NULL DEFAULT '0'' at line 1]
ALTER TABLE wp_gallery_slides CHANGE COLUMN order order INT(11) NOT NULL DEFAULT '0'`

Lot of investigation and frustration later led me to realize that if something is working for everyone and not for you, it is useful to look at your unique set up rather than the code.

Snooping in my databases showed me that the Character set used for the table for that plugin was not utf8, – actually different ones for two different plugins both giving me errors. Setting it right fixed the problem.

What to do?
Go to your database in PhpMyAdmin. Run your eyes down the encoding column and see which tables if any have encoding other than what the rest of the database is using. Chances are high that that will be the one giving you trouble. Go to the Operations tab for that table, set the encoding to what the rest of the database is using.

Done.