IIT Madras Chief V Kamakoti: Designer Of India’s First Microprocessor, Facing Backlash Over Gaumutra Claim – News18

Last Updated:January 21, 2025, 12:59 IST

V Kamakoti, director of IIT Madras, sparked controversy with claims about cow urine’s medicinal properties. He defended his stance, citing international journals, including ‘Nature’, supporting his claims.

V Kamakoti, the director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, has sparked controversy over his claims about the medicinal properties of cow urine. In a video that has gone viral on social media, Kamakoti is seen speaking at an event at a ‘Go Samrakshana Sala’ during Maatu Pongal on January 15, 2025. He discusses the supposed antibacterial, antifungal, and digestive benefits of cow urine, and further claims that drinking it can help treat digestive disorders like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

At the event, Kamakoti shared an anecdote about a sanyasi (saint) who allegedly cured a high fever by drinking ‘gaumutra’ (cow urine). He claimed that after consuming the cow urine, the saint’s fever disappeared within 15 minutes.

Who is V Kamakoti?

Veezhinathan Kamakoti is the current director of IIT Madras, having assumed the role in 2022. Before being appointed director, he was a professor in the institution’s Computer Science and Engineering department. An alumnus of IIT Madras, Kamakoti is a recognized expert in artificial intelligence. He has served as the head of the AI Task Force under the Union Ministry of Commerce and as a National Security Advisory Council member. Additionally, he has held the position of Associate Dean of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR) at IIT Madras.

Notably, Kamakoti led the research team that developed India’s first indigenously designed microprocessor, ‘Shakti’, for mobile computing devices and networking systems. Kamakoti’s research interests span software aspects of VLSI design, high-performance computing, cluster computing, algorithms, data structures, and more.

He has received numerous accolades, including the DRDO Academy Excellence Award, the Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship, the IBM Faculty Award and the IITM Young Faculty Recognition Award.

Outside of his professional work, he is keenly interested in organic farming and is trained in Carnatic music, particularly violin.

Kamakoti Defends His Statement

Kamakoti on Monday defended his stance on the medicinal benefits of cow urine and shared copies of international science journals that have reinforced the beneficial properties of cow urine citing evidence for the same. He said that his “views were taken out of context”.

“The anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties of cow urine have been scientifically demonstrated. Top journals in the United States (US) have published scientific evidence. It is important to note that my comments were made in the context of advocating for organic farming and the protection of indigenous cattle breeds, which play a crucial role in agriculture and the overall economy,” he said.

He gave the press copies of papers published in international journals, including the renowned scientific journal ‘Nature’, which, according to him, supports the claims made by him and others on this matter.