A video that captured the head of IIT Madras V Kamakoti praising cow urine (gomutra) as having a ‘healing power’ was circulated on a social platform the other day and this reportedly angered a number of political parties in Chennai. These, Kamakoti said during the Go Samrakshana Sala event the other Wednesday, while slaughtering indigenous cattle during Maatu Pongal festivity, pointed to the need to protect native bulls for local breed, and promote the use of organic manure.
Promises and Protections Sought by Kamakoti
During his speech Kamakoti recalled an incident that took place in Rameswaram of a sanyasi who he said brought high fever and cured by drinking gomutra. This he said, gave health benefits; “Gomiyam (cow urine) has bacterial and fungal reducing and digestive characteristics.” It is useful as a medicine for conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” He called on the society to recognize ‘healing powers of urine’ while selling every citizen the benefits of organic farming to the economy and the environment.
Kamakoti, the elderly saint, stressed the part of native cattle in agriculture and recommended “Go samrakshana” or “cow protection” as a part of natuipment farming. Stating that chemical fertilizers should not be used anymore he proclaimed that with the help of the organic farming people will be able to save Bhoomi Mata.
Controversies & Political Backlashes
These remarks from the director of the talk rightfully eliciting criticism almost as soon as they were made. It was the Dravidar Kazhagam which condemned all that he claimed as ‘shameful’ and a propaganda. DMK leader TKS Elangovan alleged that Kamakoti has joined what he labelled as the central government plan to ‘denegrate’ education by promoting pseudoscience. Another Indian politician, also a cross-writer in the social sites, Karti P. Chidambaram expressed concern in the Twitter, “This is pseudoscience by the Director of @iitmadras,” he said in a tweet tagging @IMAIndiaOrg.
Peddling pseudoscience by @iitmadras Director is most unbecoming @IMAIndiaOrg https://t.co/ukB0jwBh8G
— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) January 18, 2025
Scientific Context adn Kamakoti’s Perspective
Kamakoti also talked about possibilities of organic farming, biogas production and the issue of converting farm lands into commercial use. He talked about the Regenerative Agriculture Stack Architecture program launched by IIT Madras and the goshala twine which involves automation of the cow shelter and production of biogas and Panchagavyam, an organic product manufactured form the byproducts of cows.
Unfortunately, four months into his speech, Kamakoti connected colonial history to the state of agriculture today, even though the British policy he was referring to was by Thomas Babington Macaulay who plotted to undermine India’s economy by eradicating the native cows. He said that the British period ones used to slaughter thirty thousand cows per day slaughtering factories and presented this figure in order to support his statements on indigenous breeds.
His statement is also relevant to the present day scientific research done about cow urine. Peptide profiling and bioactive properties of gomutra were studied by a scientific research conducted in 2019 in Nature, while the effectiveness of gomutra has not been proven in traditional medicine.
Celebration of Maatu Pongal and its Importance to the Cultural Group
The event where Kamakoti made his remarks was a part of a Maatu Pongal festival which is held on the second day in the Tamil month Thai. Celebrated with devotion cattle in particular cows and bulls are worshiped as it has gigantic importance in the agricultural business. The prayers and celebrations arranged in Chennai conveniently focused on the various ways in which those animals were useful in farming and rural occupations.
Kamakoti’s Background
V Kamakoti who joined IIT Madras as Director of the institute in 2022 is an ardent farmer who believes in the practice of agriculture using natural resources utilizing farming methods that produce a sustainable yield. Erudite scientist he was honored with the DRDO Academy Excellence Award for the year 2013 on account of his contribution in research and developmental activities.
Broader Implications
His comments have once again raised questions on orientations of tradition, science, modernity within the Indian context within academic and political spheres. Whilst some may see his utterances as a genuine call to embrace indigenous knowledge systems, others have denounced him either as a regressive dentist who has the potential to diminish research-based impulses that are characteristic of a revered institution such as IIT Madras.
This being the case, the public needs to ask pertinent questions on the place of culture and tradition in governing its polity and more so in scientific research.
