Sudha Murthy, the Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation comes forward to helping the tourist guides at Hampi. Due to the lockdown that was imposed throughout the country last year in 2020, the tour guides at Hampi were in distress as the Pandemic shut closed all the tourist destinations.
Sudha Murthy transfers Rs. 10,000 to 100 guides’ bank accounts to help them meet their household expenses. The guides at Hampi are experiencing ups and downs concerning their financial stability.
Tourism gradually opened doors for tourists across the world by December and went well till the end of February. During the second half of February, the summers began to roll down, which again saw a fall in the number of tourists in Hampi.
Many people went to seek help from the Government Employment Guarantee Scheme, while some sold vegetables and fruits to earn a living. Some only knew ‘guiding the tourists’, this confined them to stay at home jobless. This aid from Sudha Murthy will surely be of great help to the ones that are in need of it.
“We used to lead our lives on daily wages by guiding the tourists every day. Since lockdown, life has been difficult and this financial aid from Sudha Murthy will help us live for 2-3 months”, says a guide Gopal.
Sudha Murthy takes a special interest in art, literature, and culture. She believes that guides are a part of it and has lent help. The guides at Hampi want to take out some money from the aid and distribute textbooks and notebooks to the children studying in Government schools.