Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu on Monday came out in support of Padma Shri awardee and IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, following criticism from the Kerala unit of the Congress party over remarks linked to cow urine research.
Vembu said that cow dung and cow urine have a unique and rich microbiome that could potentially offer significant medicinal or biological value. He dismissed the criticism as stemming from what he described as a “slavish colonial mindset”, which assumes traditional knowledge systems are inherently unscientific or unworthy of serious academic scrutiny.
In a post on X, Vembu wrote that Kamakoti is a deep-tech expert specialising in microprocessor design, the Director of IIT Madras, and a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), adding that he fully deserves the Padma Shri honour.
“I have defended him on scientific grounds and I will do so again: cow dung and cow urine have excellent microbiome that could be valuable for humans,” Vembu said.
He added that the belief such ideas are unscientific reflects a colonial hangover. “Some day, when Harvard or MIT publish a study on this, these enslaved minds would worship that as the gospel truth,” he said.
The cow urine controversy
The controversy erupted after the Kerala Congress earlier in the day posted a message on X congratulating Kamakoti on receiving the civilian honour, while simultaneously taking a dig at his research focus.
“Congratulations to V Kamakoti on receiving the honour. The nation recognises your bleeding-edge research on cow urine at IIT Madras, taking gomutra to the world stage,” the party said.
Kamakoti, who was named among this year’s Padma Shri awardees for his contributions to technology and education, has previously described the honour as a collective achievement for IIT Madras, rather than an individual recognition.
In a video shared on January 25, Kamakoti said the award reinforced his commitment to Viksit Bharat @ 2047, adding that it was the result of collective efforts by those who contributed to his work.
Last year, Kamakoti had said that cow urine has “anti-bacterial” and “anti-fungal” properties, and could help treat several ailments, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). He also claimed that leading journals in the United States have published scientific evidence supporting these assertions.
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