'Not some superstitious quackery': Zoho CEO backs IIT Madras director on cow urine row

Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu. (Image: X)

Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu has backed IIT Madras director V Kamakoti's remarks that sparked the cow urine controversy, claiming that modern science also is waking up to its benefits and it is "not some superstitious quackery".

Vembu took to X and stated, "The people who are mocking cow urine don't know how fecal transplants and fecal pills (yes!) from very healthy individuals (preferably from pre-industrial societies, not exposed to modern diets) are seeing growing scientific interest due to their role in restoring beneficial gut bacteria. And gut bacteria are the most vital component of our immune system and they play a vital role in our physical and mental health.

"So "cow urine and cow dung have beneficial properties" is not some superstitious quackery. Modern science is converging there. It is the closed minded fanatic who takes part in online mobs," he added.

In another post on the social media platform, the Zoho CEO stated, "This nation Bharat has profound wisdom the world is slowly coming to see. As a civilization, we will holistically invent technology so that human life on this planet is in harmony with nature. It is profound ignorance masquerading as the "rationalist" outlook that is using patterns of thought already being challenged in the West to attack our deep thinkers here. We will fight this fight."

His remarks come a few days after V Kamakoti, the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, recently faced backlash for praising cow urine's medicinal value and saying that cow urine or ‘gomutra’, possesses anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and digestive properties that could help treat conditions like fever and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

His comments were met with mixed reactions. While a section of the internet said his claims were not backed by science, a few others, like Zoho CEO, backed his remarks.

In his speech made at a Pongal celebration on January 15, however, the IIT Madras director had quoted scientific studies as well as peer-reviewed papers to make his point about the benefits of ‘gomutra.’

One of the papers he cited was Peptide profiling in cow urine reveals molecular signature of physiology-driven pathways and in-silico predicted bioactive properties by Rohit Kumar, published in the Nature journal.

“The antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of cow urine have been scientifically demonstrated… Top journals in the United States have published scientific evidence,” Kamakoti had stated.