Many Dravidian student unions and the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu have started a tirade against IIT Madras director Veezhinathan Kamakoti over singing bhajans in his ancestral village and hailing the medicinal properties of gaumutra (cow urine). In early January 2025, visuals of Professor V Kamakoti singing Margazhi bhajans on the streets of his native village Vishnupuram near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu.
Kamakoti was seen dressed in traditional attire in the video accompanied by a harmonium-wielding man, and some women and children singing bhajans. Condemning the alleged politicisation of Professor Kamakoti’s way of practising his faith, Tamil Nadu BJP state president K Annamalai said that Professor Kamakoti is an expert in Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, etc, and he chose to pray to God in his own way. However, a student union is politicising this. The BJP leader urged the student unions to call off their protest and respect IIT Madras’s sanctity.
Annamalai said, “It’s unfortunate that our Chennai IIT Director, who is a very decorated person, who is an expert in AI, and quantum computing, he chose to follow his dharma. He chose to pray to god in his own way. That is being politicised by a group of students union. Everybody has the right to practise his religion. I urge them to stop the protest and respect the sanctity of the institution. IIT Chennai is not only the pride of Chennai but the entire country”.
Meanwhile, a video of Professor Veezhinathan Kamakoti praising the medicinal benefits of Gaumutra (cow urine) has gone viral on social media. While addressing an event at a Go Samrakshana Sala on the day of Maatu Pongal (15th January), Professor Kamakoti said, “An ascetic had high fever and was thinking of calling a doctor. I forgot the sanyasi’s name, but he said ‘Gomuthran pinami’.
He then immediately drank cow urine and in 15 minutes, his fever subsided,” Kamkoti said adding that cow urine is effective in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Mocking the IIT Madras director, Congress state co-ordinator Subathra Devi said, “Look at the IIT director in the brain-strong gang regime. Cow urine is a fever medicine.” Similarly, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, “Peddling pseudoscience by @iitmadras Director is most unbecoming.”
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