Author and philanthropist Sudha Murty has set social media abuzz with her comments on her food habits, which have sparked a debate about vegetarianism. Speaking to food writer Kunal Vijayakar on his YouTube channel 'Khaane Me Kya Hai', the wife of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy revealed that she is a pure vegetarian, and that one of her biggest concerns is the possibility of the same spoon being used for vegetarian and non-veg food. She also said when she travels abroad, she seeks out vegetarian restaurants or prepares her own meals.
Sudha Murty has been trending on Twitter for nearly a week after the comment and users are sharply divided.
"Why is their so much outrage on Sudha Murty being a vegetarian who also carries her food everywhere with her? Is she not allowed to do so? Her choice doesn't matter? How does being Vegetarian becomes Elite or Brahmanwad? How does that becomes Discriminatory?" commented one user.
"What Sudha Murty does today is being practiced by Jains since ancient times. We Jains not only carry our food but also carry our water and water filtering cloth wherever we go. I wear Vegetarian batch on my sleeves," tweeted another.
"I did not understand why so many people went after Sudha Murty? I am not an admirer of Mrs Sudha Murty but frankly she said nothing objectionable here nor is she imposing her dietary choices on others. On the contrary she makes an effort to live by her choices & is not changing others," political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla said in a tweet.
Those who were critical of the comment shared photos of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Sudha Murty's son-in-law, apparently at a barbeque, carrying plates of cooked meat.
"What's amazing here is how the Murty PR team keeps planting these headlines despite knowing fully well that pics like the Rishi bbq will come out. It shows that they are confident that Sudha Murty fans in 2023 are that be dumb & will stand by her even when it makes no sense," Gaurav Sabnis, associate professor at Stevens Institute of Technology in the US tweeted.
"Do vegetarians not understand the concept of soap? This level of paranoia and focus on 'purity' and 'contamination' is 100% a product of Brahminism," wrote another Twitter user.
Ms Murty has so far not reacted to the raging debate on social media, but this is not the first time she has made headlines in recent months.
In May, she was trolled heavily on social media after she told a TV host that an immigration officer in London refused to believe her address was 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK's Prime Minister, and asked her if she was "joking". She said she believed it was because of her "simple appearance".
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