Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia questions IIT-Madras Director's claim on cow urine
The remark sparked debate online. Several users backed Bhatia's concern about science and credibility being undermined. Others defended Kamakoti's view.In the viral video, Kamakoti recounted an anecdote of an ascetic who allegedly cured his fever by drinking cow urine. 'An ascetic was having high fever and was thinking of calling a doctor. I forgot the sanyasi's name, but he said, 'Gomutran pinami' and immediately drank cow urine. In 15 minutes, his fever subsided,' he said.While Kamakoti maintained that the practice has scientific backing, critics said such comments from institutional heads can be misleading, especially without a clear medical consensus.Kamakoti had made the remarks in Chennai during the 'Go Samrakshana Sala' event held on January 15, as part of the Maatu Pongal celebrations. He had also spoken about the significance of organic farming and underlined the role of indigenous cows in strengthening agriculture and the economy. His statements, however, drew sharp criticism from several political leaders at that time.- Ends
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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
IIT Roorkee researchers develop novel drug candidate to restore strength of antibiotics against drug-resistant bacteria
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee researchers have taken an innovative step towards the global fight against antibiotic resistance by developing a new drug candidate, Compound 3b, that has the potential to restore the effectiveness of a potent antibiotic against deadly drug-resistant bacteria. The newly discovered molecule belongs to a class of β-lactamase inhibitor drugs that prevent bacterial enzymes from breaking down life-saving antibiotics. The research team is led by Prof. Ranjana Pathania from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Roorkee, and includes Dr. Mangal Singh and Perwez Bakht, as well as along with Norwegian collaborators Prof. Annette Bayer and her team from UiT Tromsø. Also read: IIT-KGP appoints dean to look after students' well-being following multiple suicides The team designed a novel molecule that works alongside the antibiotic Meropenem to treat infections caused by KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, a superbug listed among the World Health Organization's top-priority threats, IIT Roorkee said in a statement. It further added that the newly discovered molecule belongs to a class of β-lactamase inhibitor drugs that prevent bacterial enzymes from breaking down life-saving antibiotics. Speaking about the new discovery, Prof. Pathania said that the breakthrough offers a promising solution to one of the world's most urgent health challenges, antimicrobial resistance. 'Our compound neutralizes the resistance mechanism and shows strong therapeutic results in preclinical models,' she added. Also read: IIT Guwahati to establish Manekshaw centres for defence & national security research Prof. K. K. Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee, said that the innovation reflects IIT Roorkee's commitment to developing impactful scientific solutions for global challenges. 'In the face of rising antibiotic resistance, such research provides critical hope for effective and accessible treatments,' Prof. Pant added. It may be mentioned here that the research has been published in the prestigious Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and is expected to contribute significantly to future drug development efforts targeting superbugs. Also read: Bright young minds should shape India's future: Prez Murmu at 45th convocation of IIT-ISM in Dhanbad IIT Roorkee stated that the discovery marks a significant advancement in safeguarding public health, particularly at a time when antibiotic resistance is threatening global healthcare systems.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
How migration to urban areas is expanding waistlines in India
Migration is reshaping Indian bodies—not just metaphorically, but physically, and measurably so. As millions move from villages to cities, the contours of daily life shift: new jobs, new routines, new stresses and new diets. And gradually, their bodies change too. In a recent analysis of over 31,000 adults aged 45 and above, researchers Bittu Mandal and Kalandi Charan Prasad at the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore report a strong link between rural-to-urban migration and obesity. The longer someone lives in a city, the more likely they are to carry excess weight—especially around the waist, the fat most tied to chronic disease. Migration, they suggest, is not just demographic—it's metabolic. What the research looked at To trace how cities imprint themselves on the body, the researchers turned to one of the largest ageing surveys in the world—the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). Conducted across every State and Union Territory in 2017–18, it captured the lives of over 70,000 adults aged 45 and above. From this national tapestry, the team pulled a focused thread—31,595 people whose past and present addresses told a story of movement. They zeroed in on those who had left villages for cities, classifying these rural-to-urban migrants by how long they'd lived in their new urban homes: under five years, five to ten, or more than a decade. Then came the crucial question: Had their bodies changed with time in the city? The researchers examined both body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference—because belly fat, more than weight alone, is often the clearer signal of looming chronic disease. Using multiple statistical models, they asked whether simply spending more time in a city made people more likely to become obese. What they found The analysis revealed a clear trend. The longer someone lives in a city, the higher their odds of obesity. Even within five years of migrating, rural-to-urban migrants were nearly twice as likely to be obese as rural non-migrants, with the risk rising further after 6–10 years and again after a decade. 'We did not observe a clear point where the risk stabilises,' said Bittu Mandal, one of the study's authors. This pattern held for both general (measured by BMI) and abdominal obesity. Among rural non-migrants, just 2.6% were obese, compared to 13.1% for long-term urban dwellers and migrants. This aligns with the Indian Migration Study, which found increased body fat in migrants within a decade, characterised by higher blood pressures, lipids, and fasting blood glucose—patterns consistent across gender, as noted in an earlier work by Varadharajan et al. and Ebrahim et al. The ICMR-INDIAB study further showed that migrants had the highest rates of abdominal obesity and diabetes, surpassing even long-term city dwellers. The data also highlighted group-level differences. Obesity was especially common among women, wealthier or more educated individuals, and adults aged 45–59, who often adopt sedentary urban jobs and calorie-dense diets more readily than older migrants. 'Many migrants shift from labour-intensive rural work to desk jobs,' Mr. Mandal explained. 'Cities also offer easy access to processed foods, driving abdominal weight gain.' This is not just a matter of availability but also time. 'Time pressures associated with urban employment lead to increased demand for time-saving in food preparation and consumption,' said Prabhu Pingali, director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition. 'Pre-packaged and processed foods are everywhere, often replacing fresh meals in urban diets, especially for the poor.' Anaka Aiyar, a developmental economist at University of Vermont cautions that even non-migrants aren't spared as urban influence spreads. 'As market access improves in rural and peri-urban areas, processed foods become increasingly available. This shifts diets toward obesogenic patterns, especially for lower-middle-income women in sedentary jobs.' Filling the gaps While the study is statistically robust, its cross-sectional design leaves one key question open: does city life cause weight gain—or are heavier people more likely to migrate? Other research in the area bridges this gap. Sibling-pair studies in India—where migrants are compared to their rural siblings—show a consistent pattern. The migrant sibling is typically heavier, less active, and eats less nutritiously. Both higher calorie intake and lower energy expenditure contribute equally to their greater body fat—driven mainly by fatty diets, sedentary habits, and limited physical activity. Oyebode and colleagues looked at pooled data of 40,000 individuals from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa and found that occupational activity among migrants was lower and leisure activity higher. Together, these studies build a robust case—migration alters work, diet, and daily life in ways that foster weight gain. Policy implications As more Indians migrate to cities the health risks of that shift are becoming clearer. Yet internal migrants, particularly women and middle-aged adults, often fall through the cracks of public health programmes. 'They are often overlooked,' said Mr. Mandal. 'They face barriers such as lack of documentation, limited awareness, and care disruptions.' He suggests that national programmes - Ayushman Bharat and NPCDCS (National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke)- expand migrant outreach, offer portable benefits, and prioritise targeted screenings. But the challenge may run deeper than healthcare access. 'Food environments are changing rapidly, while nutrition policies lag behind,' said Prof. Aiyar. 'This disconnect risks leaving low-income and female migrants especially vulnerable.' Prof. Pingali argues that India's grain-heavy food policy has long limited access to fresh produce. 'Processed foods become default substitutes, especially for the urban poor,' he said. 'Combined with sedentary lifestyles and sugary drinks, this fuels adverse health outcomes.' He calls for a policy shift toward year-round access to fruits, vegetables, and dairy. From a different angle, economist Arup Mitra, professor at South Asian University and the former director-general of the National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development, notes that many low-income migrants face basic nutritional hardships in cities. 'Access to healthy livelihoods—whether via sanitation or food—is already limited,' he said. 'And rising living costs only make things worse.' As India's cities swell and its migrants age, the country must reshape its health response—before citizens start bearing the irreversible burden of neglect.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
In a 1st among IITs, Kharagpur gets student well-being dean
KOLKATA: Arun Chakraborty, professor at Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences at IIT-Kharagpur, Friday became the institute's first dean of student well-being. TOI had earlier reported that IIT-Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty announced the appointment during the induction programme for the new BTech batch on July 26. The post was created to ensure students' mental health issues are not left unaddressed, especially after four student suicides on campus in seven months - the latest being fourth-year mechanical engineering student Ritam Mondal, who was found hanging in his hostel room on July 18. "This is possibly the first time in any IIT that a person of a dean's status has been assigned solely to look after students' overall well-being," said the director. "Our institute has a huge number of students, and it is necessary to have a designated dean of student well-being to give special emphasis to welfare activities." Chakraborty told TOI that while the role was challenging, it was essential. "We do not want any tragic incidents. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play this game for 1 minute and see why everyone is addicted. Every student can approach us at any time. Even the smallest issues will be addressed. I've told students I am available 24x7 - they should not panic; we are here like parents," he added. IIT-Kharagpur has 21 hostels housing 16,000 students. While there is a dean of student affairs, the director pointed out that "student affairs" and "student well-being" are distinct. The new dean will focus on identifying and addressing personal issues, while dean of student affairs will handle administrative matters like accommodation and discipline. Measures already in place at the college include the AI-driven mental wellness platform SETU, a restructured counselling centre, "campus mothers," student task forces, and stress management workshops.
