Sudha Murty defends her ‘Karnavati-Humayun’ video on Raksha Bandhan amid outrage

Sudha Murty faced public outrage after she shared a historical anecdote involving Rani Karnavati and Humayun while talking about the history of Raksha Bandhan.

Philanthropist and author Sudha Murty found herself in the middle of a controversy after she shared a video on Raksha Bandhan. In her clip, she told a story about Rani Karnavati and Humayun while discussing how the custom of tying rakhi began. However, people expressed their outrage, commenting that the tale was incorrect. She has now spoken out after getting trolled, defending her stand.

Sudha Murty’s post on the ‘Karnavati-Humayun’ story on Raksha Bandhan has created chatter on X. (X/@SmtSudhaMurty, Unsplash/Paras Kaushal)

“Raksha Bandhan has a rich history. When Rani Karnavati was in danger, she sent a thread to King Humayun as a symbol of sibling-hood, asking for his help. This is where the tradition of the thread began, and it continues to this day,” Sudha Murty wrote in an earlier post to celebrate the festival with a video.

Following the outrage over the video, she later took to X and shared, “The story I shared on Raksha Bandhan is just one of many tales associated with the festival and certainly not its origin. As I have said in the video clip, this was already a custom of the land. My intention was to highlight one of the many stories I learnt about when growing up, about the beautiful symbolism behind Raksha Bandhan. Raksha Bandhan is a much older tradition that has transcended time and culture of our beloved country, one that I am proud of and look forward to with affection for my own siblings.”

Take a look at her post here:

With over 4.5 lakh views, her viral share has also collected nearly 3,000 likes. It has accumulated several comments from people.

What did X users say about Sudha Murty’s reply?

“Ma’am, in that case, you should delete that video and the tweet along with it, as both the video and the tweet clearly says that the tradition of Rakhi ‘started’ with this fake story of Durgavati and Humayun. It is okay to make mistakes, no one is infallible,” wrote an X user.

Another added, “Explain this. Take 70 hours if you need, but do explain this. You literally said that the tradition of thread began with the Rani Karnavati and Humayun incident.”

A third commented, “Ma’am when you said “one of the many stories I learnt about when growing up” this is where the problem lies.”

Sudha Murty is the former chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and the wife of its co-founder, NR Narayan Murty. A member of the Rajya Sabha, she was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 2006. In 2023, she received the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.

What are your thoughts on Sudha Murty’s reply to the outrage over her Raksha Bandhan video?