Chennai: A video clip of IIT Madras director V. Kamakoti purportedly praising the “medicinal properties” of Gomutra while talking about the importance of protecting indigenous breeds of cattle and switching to organic farming has surfaced on social media. It spread.
Speaking at an event at Go Samrakshana Sala here on Maatu Pongal day (January 15, 2025), he narrated an anecdote from the life of a sanyasi and said that when the ascetic developed a high fever, He said that he was cured after taking Gomutra. .
Therefore, Gomiyam (cow urine/gomutra) has “antibacterial, antifungal, and digestive effects” and is useful as a medicine for diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, and the director says that it is filled with cotton padding out of consideration for cows. said. The “medicinal effects” of urine.
He made the remarks after highlighting the importance of organic farming and the important role that indigenous breeds of cattle play in agriculture and the economy as a whole.
Dravidar Kazhagam, a member of the rationalist group, slammed Gomutra’s remarks, calling them untrue and “shameful.”
DMK leader TKS Elangovan condemned Kamakoti’s remarks and claimed that the central government’s intention was to “ruin” education in the country.
Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam leader K Ramakrishnan said Kamakoti must provide proof of his claims or apologize. “If he doesn’t apologize, we will hold a protest against him.”
Congress leader Karti P. Chidambaram slammed the remarks and said, “Pseudoscience propaganda by @iitmadras chief is most unbecoming of @IMAIndiaOrg.”
The IIT director emphasized on ‘Go Samrakshana’ to protect cows and said it has economic, nutritional and environmental benefits. “If we use fertilizers, we can forget about Bhoomi Mata (Mother Earth). The sooner we switch to organic and natural farming methods, the better for us,” Kamakoti said. spoke.
He supported the use of biogas and advised against converting agricultural land to other uses, whether it be building houses or undertaking commercial projects such as building wedding halls or movie theaters.
Regarding Thomas Babbington Macaulay (1800-1859), who sowed the seeds of the British education system in India, the IIT-M top professor said that the British had to improve the basic economics in order to bring India to a favorable position. They argued that the component, native cattle, had been eliminated. of slavery.
Kamakoti also mentioned the establishment of slaughterhouses during the British Raj. The slaughterhouse had the capacity to slaughter approximately 30,000 cows a day.
Native cows and bulls (naatu madhu) form the core or basic building blocks of organic farming and therefore, unless maximum efforts are made to conserve indigenous cows. It won’t. He emphasized the role that organic farming plays in the economy.
“If farmers say they won’t produce grain, where will people get food from?” he asked, stressing that insurgency and agriculture must be supported.
In this regard, he cited IIT-Madras’ Regenerative Agriculture Stack Architecture Program.
He said the Premium Institute will work on the ‘Goshala Automation’ project, which will also include operational cost efficiency and production of biogas and panchagavyam (organic products).
Sources close to Kamakoti told PTI that Kamakoti was speaking at a Goshala event and is an “organic farmer” himself, adding that there was a larger context to his remarks.
This is due to the fact that native cattle breeds are facing threats, as well as a study published in Nature that says, “Peptide profiling in cow urine reveals molecular signatures of physiological pathways and in silico predictions.” This includes aspects such as scientific reports such as “bioactive properties have been identified.”
Professor Kamakoti took over as the Director of IIT-M on January 17, 2022. Previous awards include the DRDO Academy Award of Excellence for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Scientific Research and Technology Development (2013).
Maatu Pongal (Thai-Tamil Month 2) is a festival dedicated to cows and bulls, where people hold poojas and events to give thanks to cows and celebrate their contribution to agriculture and related activities.
