'Same spoon for veg, non-veg food': Why Sudha Murthy is a regular target of trolls

Educator, author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy remains in the news cycle due to her remarks. Her recent statements at a food show describing her dietary preferences have caused a frenzy on social media. This is not the first time that the Padma Bhushan awardee has become the subject of online trolling for her comments. Let’s take a closer look at why the 72-year-old has continued to dominate headlines and create buzz on social media. ‘Veg, non-veg spoon’ Appearing in a recent episode of a YouTube show called Khaane Mein Kaun Hai, Murthy said that being a “pure vegetarian” one of her concerns is whether the same spoon is being used for both vegetarian and non-veg food items. “I am a pure vegetarian, I don’t even eat eggs or garlic. What I am scared of is, that the same spoon will be used for both, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. It weighs on my mind a lot!” The wife of Infosys founder and billionaire NR Narayana Murthy said that when she travels abroad she seeks vegetarian restaurants or makes her own meals. Her comments triggered an online debate, with some people accusing her of “selling” an overly simplistic lifestyle. “Sudha Murthy’s simplicity is becoming really irksome,” a user wrote on Twitter, now rebranded as X. [caption id=“attachment_12920262” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sudha Murthy has once again become a target of trolls. PTI File Photo[/caption] However, another defended her. “We should not judge people based on their food preferences or other personal habits. Instead, we should focus on treating everyone with respect, regardless of their caste," commented a user. Her anecdotes on The Kapil Sharma Show During her appearance on the comedy show in May, Murthy, the mother-in-law of United Kingdom prime minister Rishi Sunak, claimed that an immigration officer in London was in disbelief when she wrote ‘10 Downing Street’ as her residential address on a form. Murthy, as per India Today, said in the show, “Once when I had gone, they asked me my residential address. ‘Where are you staying in London?’ My elder sister was with me and I thought, should I write ‘10 Downing Street’. My son also lives there (in UK), but I didn’t remember his complete address. But I finally wrote 10 Downing Street”. Murthy added that the officer asked her if she was “joking”, a reaction which, as per her, was due to her plain appearance. The popular author also recalled that once she was travelling in business class and two women at the airport called her behenji because she was wearing a salwar kameez. “Behenji, this is not the queue for you, economy passengers go elsewhere”, Murthy cited the women as saying, as per The Hindu. Telangana Today noted that she also referred to her “middle-class” upbringing and lifestyle many times during the show. Her comments triggered a furore on Twitter, with some taking jabs at her for her “simplicity”. Sudha Murty Simple was a trend on Twitter, now X, for more than a week after her comments went viral. “Sudha Murthy is so humble that when people tell her she’s down to earth, she says it’s because of gravity”, wrote a user sarcastically.

Does Sudha Murthy still live in Bangalore or has moved to simplicity?

— Sayantan Ghosh (@sayantansunnyg) May 18, 2023

‘Daughter made her husband PM’ Murthy again hit the headlines when her remarks about her daughter “making” her husband the (UK) prime minister went viral. As per ThePrint, the comments were made at a private family havan at a relative’s place in Karnataka’s Bengaluru. “I made my husband a businessman and my daughter made her husband Prime Minister,” she said can be heard telling a group of people in the video. Her remarks courted online backlash, with many calling her “pompous”. However, as per ThePrint, it can be deciphered from the clip that she was just “joking” or only being “half-serious”. Sudha Murthy meeting Sambhaji Bhide Last November, Murthy created controversy when her video touching the feet of Hindutva right-wing outfit leader Sambhaji Bhide in Maharashtra surfaced. Her meeting with Bhide, the founder of Shri Shiv Pratisthan Hindustan, came days after he refused to talk to a journalist as she was not wearing a “bindi”. Murthy’s interaction with the controversial Hindutva leader raised eyebrows with several criticising her. However, some praised her for her “courteous gesture”. Why does her ‘simple’ lifestyle invite trolling? In June, Veena Venugopal, the author of I_ndependence Day: A People’s History_, wrote for The Hindu that there are not many “takers” of Murthy’s anecdotes about her “simple” way of living. “Why shouldn’t a billionaire dress like one? What is the glory in pretending to be something you are not? There are very few takers left for Murty’s brand of simplicity. Today, the idea is that if you have the money, you should be living the life, so that the rest of us can watch and dream of something similar,” Venugopal wrote. The writer argued that with everything becoming a PR these days and people themselves becoming brands, the audience has become sceptical and unsure about what to believe and what is fabricated.

Sudha Murthy started a dating site for the children of simple-living billionaires. It’s called Humble.

— Peter Griffin isn’t spending much time here (@zigzackly) May 18, 2023

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According to The Swaddle magazine, Murthy’s remarks at The Kapil Sharma Show were a reminder of how rich Indians attempt to “make themselves seem more relatable to the middle class by downplaying their wealth and privilege”. “Murthy has been hailed as the epitome of humility and grace, but actions such as these come across as tone-deaf and echo scepticism,” the magazine noted in May. With inputs from agencies