'Slavish colonial mindset': Zoho's Sridhar Vembu defends cow urine research
Zoho's Sridhar Vembu has stepped up to defend IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti after his cow urine research was mocked online.
Vembu argued there's real scientific value in studying cow dung and urine because of their unique microbiomes, and called out the "slavish colonial mindset" that dismisses such ideas just because they aren't mainstream.
Why is this a big deal?
Vembu pointed out that if top Western universities like Harvard or MIT published similar research, people would probably take it seriously.
He compared the microbiomes in cows to those used in fecal transplants—already known for health benefits—and said mocking this work is just superstitious prejudice.
Who is Sridhar Vembu?
Sridhar Vembu founded Zoho and turned it into a global cloud software company.
He's known for championing unconventional ideas and building tech that is widely used today.