‘Left liberals throw away tradition…’: Sridhar Vembu hits out at Gomutra row after ‘boomer’ jibe.

Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu has reignited the debate over India’s traditional knowledge systems, asserting that dismissing them entirely is arrogance, not scientific rigour.

In a post on social media, Vembu said, “The left liberal people in our country love to throw at the traditional knowledge systems of India.

He called for humility in the scientific community and urged them to examine traditional practices with a modern lens.

The comment came after Vembu defended IIT Madras director Prof V Kamakoti, who said cow urine (gomutra) has medicinal benefits, including antibacterial and digestive properties.

Kamakoti’s statements at the January 15 event drew sharp criticism, with many dismissing them as pseudoscience.

One of the harshest criticisms came from liver physician and clinical scientist Dr Cyriac Abby Phillips, known as ‘the liver doctor’. On social media, Phillips wrote: “Hey uneducated boomer uncle, Siddha, a so-called traditional Indian medicine, also promotes faecal transplants. How long are you going to keep putting your foot in your mouth, misinforming your followers and insulting yourself?

Phillips then urged Vembu to focus on disseminating reliable scientific information rather than promoting what he called “ancient nonsense.” His pioneering work in faecal transplants for severe alcoholic hepatitis shows how traditional practices can be validated by modern research, as opposed to promoting unsubstantiated claims.

Vembu defended Kamakoti’s comments by pointing to global interest in practices derived from traditional knowledge, such as faecal transplants.

He argued that it was against the true spirit of science to dismiss ideas like the medicinal value of cow urine without investigation. “Science does not mix well with bigotry. What we need is humility in the scientific establishment,” Vembu said.