Photo Of Sudha Murty At Bengaluru Mutt Shared With Misleading Claim

An old image of Sudha Murty - chairperson of the Infosys Foundation - surrounded by vegetables has been revived online and is being shared with a false narrative that she sells vegetables outside a temple once a year.

BOOM spoke to Sudha Murty, who called the claim in posts false and said that the photos are from the volunteer service she performs at the Raghavendra Mutt in Bengaluru every year.

Murty who heads the Infosys Foundation is also an author with books published in Kannada and English including nonfiction and techincal education books. Awarded numerous times for her philanthropic work, she was in 2006 honoured with the Padma Shri.

The posts with a photo of Murty sitting on the floor with vegetables around her, claim that the wife of Nararyan Murthy co-founder of Infosys sells vegetables every year outside a Venketeshwara temple.

Posts on Facebook and Twitter is viral with the caption - "Every year Sudha Murthy, wife of founder Infosys, spends one day selling vegetables to get rid of Ego. How one doesn't let money change their values." (sic)

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FACT CHECK

BOOM found that the photo does not show Murty selling vegetables but instead shows her volunteer at a local Mutt in Bengaluru.

"Every year for three days, my sister and I, along with some assistants visit the mutt and do seva in the form of managing the vegetables that are brought to the Mutt for the prasadam," Sudha Murty told BOOM. Murty added that she has been doing the same for several years now. 

"For three days every morning and evening, we visit the mutt and take care of the chopping, cleaning, washing the fruits and vegetables and getting the ingredients ready for the prasadam served at the Mutt. Everybody is equal in front of god, otherwise the society pumps you up and that is why I do this 'seva' every year," she said.

She further explained that the viral photo was likely clicked by a devotee of the temple.

"There is no monetary gain and in fact, I don't like my photos being clicked while my performing physical seva for the lord. People want to come and click selfies or take pictures but I request them not to do so. What I do is not for any advertisement purpose or publicity,"

Murty also said that though she does not know the exact year the picture was clicked but said it is not from this year.