‘Are you joking?’: UK immigration officer after Sudha Murthy wrote 10 Downing Street as her address

New Delhi, India

Indian author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy recently described her awkward encounter with an immigration officer during her visit to the United Kingdom. She spoke about how an immigration officer refused to believe her when she filled in her residential address in London as 10 Downing Street, where her son-in-law and current British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lives.

She shared the story during an appearance at Indian Hindi-language stand-up comedy TV show, The Kapil Sharma Show. 

10 Downing Street, which is the official residence and office of the UK prime minister, is currently home to Rishi Sunak. The first Indian-origin prime minister is married to Sudha Murthy’s daughter Akshata Murthy. 

“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’,” said the Indian philanthropist. She also spoke about how even though her son also lived in the UK at the time, she couldn’t recall his complete address. 

“But I finally wrote 10 Downing Street,” she added. “The fellow [the immigration officer] looked at me and said ‘Are you joking?!’” To which she responded, “Nahi, sachchi bolti hu [No, I am telling you the truth].”

She also went on to point out how no one believes that a 72-year-old, “simple lady” can be the mother-in-law of the PM. 

In a video that went viral last month, Murthy was heard saying, “I made my husband a businessman. My daughter made her husband the Prime Minister of the UK." 

"The reason is the glory of the wife. See how a wife can change a husband. But I could not change my husband,” she went on to say.

Sudha Murthy is the wife of NR Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Indian IT giant Infosys. She is also the Infosys Foundation chairperson.

Murthy, who was recently awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India, also recalled another incident where she was brushed aside by two business class passengers because of her simple apparel. 

On the show, she also recalled a separate incident and being called “cattle class”.

She overheard the passengers say, “What do these economy class people know of Business Class?” She immediately confronted them and asked them what is this “cattle class” and during the show, went on to criticise this mentality which equates class with the amount of money a person has. 

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