Rationalism or Prejudice? The Hypocrisy in Attacking Dr. Kamakoti and the Need for IKS in Education

On the day of Māṭṭu Poṅgal, Dr. Kamakoti Veezhinathan, Director of IIT Madras, performed gaupūjā during the celebrations at Gho Samrakshana Sala, in West Mambalam, Chennai. In the speech he delivered on the occasion, he narrated an anecdote wherein a sanyasi with a high fever was cured upon drinking gaumūtra. Gaumūtra is an important medicine, which serves not only as an antibacterial and antifungal but also helps with digestion and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), he stated. He also emphasizes the need to protect indigenous cow breeds from extinction, to preserve their vital role for human health, organic farming, and sustainable agriculture. In particular, the endorsement of gaumūtra by the Director of an IIT — a premier institute for science and technology — created an uproar amongst not only the students of the institution, but “rationalist” political parties in Tamil Nadu, who called it “unscientific”. Karti Chidambaram termed it “peddling pseudoscience” in a manner unbecoming of the Director of IIT Madras. TKS Elangovan, of the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) took it a step further, saying that people like Kamakoti “should be thrown out of the education system”. Tamil Nadu CPI(M) state secretary P. Shanmugham called for the removal of Dr. Kamakoti from his post as Director, accusing him of spreading what he called “RSS propaganda”. It is unfortunate to see this sort of venom being spewed towards Dr. Kamakoti, whose opinion is firmly based on his personal religious and traditional beliefs, whether or not this claim is supported by any medical and anecdotal evidence.

The chemotherapeutic effect of cow urine is well described both in Āyurveda — where it is exalted as a sañjīvani and as amṛta, capable of balancing the three doṣas — as well as in medical literature. Modern medicine reaffirms its anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, immune stimulating, and adaptogenic properties. Multiple papers, including those published in the Journal of Intercultural Ethnopharmacology, affirm the anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial effects of fresh cow urine. Though an excretory product, gaumūtra is not a toxic waste material. It is composed of 95% water, 2.5% urea, and 2.5% of a mixture of minerals, salts, hormones and enzymes. gaumūtra can boost the immune system by augmenting B- and T-lymphocyte blastogenesis, and is shown to have an effect on IgG, IgA and IgM antibody titres in mice. It also increases secretion of interleukins 1 and 2 and enhances the phagocytic activity of macrophages, thus aiding in the prevention and control of infections.

With antimicrobial resistance being a key global public health crisis (which developed due to the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants), it is even more critical to pay attention to gaumūtra, whose constituents are said to be effective even against multi-drug resistant bacteria. Cow urine has been granted US Patents (No. 6,896,907 and 6,410,059) for its medicinal properties, particularly as a bioenhancer and as an antibiotic, antifungal, and anticancer agent. As an anti-cancer agent, gaumūtra has been observed to increase the potency of paclitaxel against MCF-7, a human breast cancer cell line, in in vitro assays (US Patent No. 6,410,059).

Amidst the backlash, Dr. V. Kamakoti defended his statements, citing medical literature and the granting of patents, in a press conference on 20th Jan, 2025. Regardless, the science-backed benefits of gaumūtra are secondary to the moral argument and the intellectual crisis that plagues the students and politicians of our times — of not even being open to inquiry. In other words, whether the therapeutic properties of gaumūtra have been proven or not, it is more crucial that we respect its use as a component of a system of traditional medicine that has thrived in India for thousands of years before the advent of modern medicine and research. Such a perspective, of an open receptiveness towards ideas from every quarter, can be cultivated only through Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). It is clear that the education system is in great need of being embedded with the epistemology of IKS — to cultivate an Indian method of thinking and within the worldview of IKS — to seamlessly be able to integrate religious practice with careers in diverse fields.

Hypocrisy has a way of revealing itself, even in the most polished rhetoric. The Dravidianist parties sloganeer the phrase ‘pagutthaṟivu’, or thinking based on incremental logic and systematic reason. The parties’ inability to apply their own values while attacking Dr. Kamakoti for a private expression of his religious belief is not surprising in the least, as their irrational hatred of Hindus surfaces at every possible opportunity. In fact, it would not be remiss to point out that prejudice and closed-mindedness towards any idea is, in itself, irrational.

Furthermore, political parties that pride themselves on being the vanguard of secularism cannot, in good conscience, mock someone’s religious and traditional beliefs as “unscientific” without undermining their own principles. Diversity is not just about visible identity markers or political posturing—it is about respecting the deeply personal frameworks through which individuals navigate the world, which primarily stems from their religious beliefs. To ridicule someone’s religious convictions as incompatible with science; and on top of that, claim that such belief renders them unfit to occupy the post they earned with their rigour and accolades, is not only intellectually dishonest but also patently discriminatory. Faith and scientific rigor are not mutually exclusive, as history is replete with individuals who harmonized the two, contributing ground-breaking advancements while holding strong personal beliefs. Dr. Kamakoti is a highly accomplished and decorated scientist, a recipient of multiple accolades and awards for his contributions to scientific research and technology. He has authored over 150 publications and successfully coordinated close to 50 projects from Industry and Government R&D establishments. He also serves in the Technology committees of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It is unfortunate that politics in Tamil Nadu has stooped to such a low so as to judge people based on the religious activities they partake in during the Poṅgal festival, rather than on their competence, integrity, and contributions.

What is worse is the students of the institution, influenced by extreme and senseless political rhetoric, protested Dr. Kamakoti’s belief in Āyurveda simply on the grounds of his being a scientist. The inculcation of Western manner of thinking through the modern education system, along with rampant political brainwashing, are at the root when it comes to the condescension shown by students towards indigenous traditional medicine. This is a rot that can only be countered through the fostering of the values espoused by IKS. This is exactly why the incorporation of IKS into education and popular discourse is such a pressing need, especially to foster a sense of open-mindedness towards traditional practices routinely dismissed as “regressive” by those that pride themselves in being “modern” and “scientific”. In conclusion, the fact that the head of an IIT cannot express his beliefs at an event attended in a personal capacity speaks volumes about the lack of tolerance in our society and the blatant prejudice towards Hinduism.

Notes and References

While Saṃskṛta words in this article follow IAST diacritization, the Tamiḷ words follow ISO 15919 diacritization.

• Randhawa GK, Sharma R. Chemotherapeutic potential of cow urine: A review. J Intercult Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Apr-Jun;4(2):180-6. doi: 10.5455/jice.2015022210032. Epub 2015 Mar 7. PMID: 26401404; PMCID: PMC4566776.
• Randhawa GK. Cow urine distillate as bioenhancer. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2010 Oct;1(4):240-1. doi: 10.4103/0975-9476.74089. PMID: 21731367; PMCID: PMC3117312.
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