Cow Urine row: Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu defends IIT Madras Director Kamakoti

Sridhar Vembu, the founder of Zoho, has publicly supported Padma Shri recipient and IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti following critical remarks from the Kerala unit of the Congress party regarding "cow urine research."

Vembu asserted that cow dung and urine possess a unique and excellent microbiome that could hold significant medicinal or biological value for humanity. He dismissed the criticism as a product of a “slavish colonial mindset,” which assumes such traditional subjects are unscientific or unworthy of rigorous academic investigation.

In a social media post on X, Sridhar Vembu, Founder and Chief Scientist at zoho, said: “Professor Kamakoti works in deep tech: micro-processor design. He is the Director of IIT-Madras, the best technological institution in India. He serves in the NSAB. He richly deserves the 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.”

“It is the slavish colonial mindset that thinks these are not scientific propositions worthy of investigation. Some day, when Harvard or MIT publish a study on this, these enslaved minds would worship that as the gospel truth.”

The Kerala Congress said: “Congratulations to V Kamakoti on receiving the honour. The nation recognises your bleeding edge research on Cow Urine at IIT Madras, taking Gomutra to world stage.”

Professor Kamakoti, who was named among this year's Padma Shri awardees for his contributions to technology and education, had previously characterized the award as a collective milestone for his institution rather than a personal victory.

In a video shared on January 25, Professor Kamakoti said: “The Padma Shri award means only thing to me, that I will put all the best efforts towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047, this award is not possible as an individual, it's a collective effort, I dedicate this award to all who contributed... It is because of them I am getting this award.”

Last year, Professor Kamakoti had said that cow urine has "anti-bacterial" and "anti-fungal" properties, and can heal a variety of illnesses, including IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

He had also claimed that “top journals in the United States have published scientific evidence” on this.