Fact Check: Is That Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murthy Selling Vegetables?

Bengaluru: Twitter was buzzing with shock and gratitude on seeing Chairperson of Infosys Foundation Sudha Murthy selling vegetables outside a temple in Bengaluru.

Sudha Murthy, also an author, is a popular figure for her down-to-earth nature. She is the face of ‘simple living, high thinking’ in this digital era.

On Saturday, people on social media pointed out that the chairperson does sell vegetables once a year to keep herself grounded. Here’s what one Twitter user wrote:

Sudha murthy wife of narayana murthy whose wealth is over( 2500 crores), sells vegetables in front of venkateshwar temple for 1 day every year to get rid of any kind of ego #SudhaMurthy #weneedmorepeoplelikeyou
❤️???? pic.twitter.com/16ktnLFn9d

— Anjali Kholiya (@anjali_kholiya) September 12, 2020

The news broke like wildfire, and fact check experts clarified that it was, indeed, Sudha Murthy. However, she wasn’t selling vegetables, but maintaining storage for her Seva programme.

Philanthropist Sudha Murthy has been performing Seva (selfless service) at temples for several years now. She participates in activities like preparing meals for devotees, washing fruits and chopping vegetables for prasad along with other devotees.

As per reports, the Mutt officials have confirmed that she was working as store manager for three days at the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Jayanagar, Bengaluru.

According to an article in Bangalore Mirror, Sudha wakes up at 4 am three days in a year and heads to the Raghavendra Swamy temple to offer her service in the most modest way possible. Accompanied by a lone assistant, she goes to the kitchen of the temple, which is a block away from her Z category security-provided house in Jayanagar.

For 4 hours, she cleans the kitchen and adjoining rooms, washes dirty utensils, dusts shelves, chops vegetables, takes inventory of stock, sweeps the yard and empties the trash cans, the report added.

She seeks the help of her assistant only to carry large sacks of vegetables and rice to the storeroom as because of her age she can’t carry the heavy bags. At 9 am, Sudha returns to the two-storeyed building that’s been her home for the last 25 years, reported International Business Times.