In an unexpected turn of events, Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu found himself in the eye of a storm after backing IIT Madras professor, Prof. V Kamakoti, who recently advocated for the medicinal properties of cow urine. Vembu took to the social media platform X to defend Kamakoti, saying that those mocking the use of cow urine failed to understand the evolving nature of scientific thought. He drew parallels with the growing interest in fecal transplants and fecal pills, particularly those derived from healthy individuals in pre-industrial societies, as a way to restore gut bacteria. “IIT Madras Director Prof. Kamakoti is a accomplished researcher and educator. He cited scientific papers supporting the beneficial properties of cow urine. Modern science is increasingly acknowledging the value of our traditional knowledge,” Vembu wrote. “The online mobs are simply projecting their own biases, without any basis in scientific fact. Stay strong, Prof. Kamakoti. Don't give into the attack mobs.” IIT Madras Director Prof Kamakoti is an accomplished researcher and educator. He gave citations of scientific papers on the beneficial properties of cow urine. Modern science is increasingly recognising the value of our traditional insights. Online mobs are simply channeling… — Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) January 21, 2025 Vembu's support comes amidst a controversy sparked by Prof Kamakoti's remarks in a viral video, highlighting differing perspectives on traditional practices and scientific validation. The billionaire's stance was met with harsh criticism on social media, particularly from Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, better known as The Liver Doc. Philips called Vembu an “illiterate boomer uncle” in a post on X, saying, “Your so-called Indian traditional medicine, Siddha, also promotes fecal transplants. How long will you continue to misinform your followers, spreading nonsense and making a fool of yourself? As someone with influence, you should focus on spreading scientific knowledge that can help us progress, rather than amplifying misinformation from people like Prof. Kamakoti.” Hey science illiterate boomer uncle, your so-called Indian traditional medicine, Siddha also encourages fecal transplants. How long will you keep putting your foot in your mouth and speak through your rear, misinform your followers, and make a fool of yourself? As a man of… pic.twitter.com/wlJFeXl1L9 — TheLiverDoc (@theliverdr) January 22, 2025 Responding sharply, Vembu labelled Philips as “left liberal.” In a follow-up post, he criticised the “left liberal crowd” for dismissing India’s traditional knowledge systems, replacing critical thought with slogans like “trust the science.” The left liberal crowd in our country likes to dump on Bharat's traditional knowledge systems, with slogans like "trust the science" substituting for critical thought. That slogan became the ultimate dogma in the West. The Covid disaster and now the preemptive pardon for Fauci… — Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) January 23, 2025 "That slogan became the ultimate dogma in the West. The Covid disaster and now the preemptive pardon for Fauci are making a mockery of that dogmatic attitude, essentially vindicating RFK Jr who fought bravely when it was such a hard fight. RFK Jr himself was politically a left liberal until he concluded that left liberals had become too dogmatic. What we now need is a good dose of humility in the medical scientific establishment. Science does not mix with arrogance well. Science does not grant us absolute certainties," the post said.
