This photo does not show the first Iftar party of Independent India; this lunch was hosted by Sardar Patel - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 15, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that it shows the first Iftar party of Independent India hosted by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing first Iftar party of Independent India hosted by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
Fact: The photo was from a lunch hosted by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to the Indian Cabinet after C. Rajagopalachari became the Governor-General of India in 1948. Abul Kalam Azad, the first minister of Education in Independent India, was also present at the event. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo is found in a stock photo website – Alamy. According to the photo description, a dinner was hosted by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to the Cabinet after C. Rajagopalachari became the Governor-General of India in June 1948.
A website had shared some of the rare photos taken by Homai Vyarawalla. Homai Vyarawalla is an Indian woman photojournalist. In one of her rare pictures, the photo of the lunch hosted by Sardar Patel after C. Rajagopalachari became Governor-General in 1948 can be seen, though from a different angle. This picture taken by Homai Vyarawalla is like the viral photo but from a different angle.
To sum it up, this photo does not show the first Iftar party of Independent India; this lunch was hosted by Sardar Patel.