Latest news with #SabeerBhatia
News18
14-07-2025
- Health
- News18
'Shocked': Hotmail Co-Founder Sabeer Bhatia Reacts To IIT Madras Director's Cow Urine Claim
Last Updated: Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia criticized IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti's viral video on cow urine's health benefits, sparking social media debate on its scientific credibility. Reacting to an old video of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Director V Kamakoti, Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia on Monday raised concerns over the credibility of elite academic institutions. The video of IIT-Madras director had gone viral earlier this year. In the video, Kamakoti had claimed that cow urine has 'anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties" and aids digestion. In response to the viral video, Bhatia wrote on X, 'Shocked by IIT-Madras Director's viral video claiming cow urine is 'anti-bacterial, anti-fungal" with digestive benefits. If educated leaders spout this, how can we trust their decisions for elite institutions?(sic)" Shocked by IIT Madras Director's viral video claiming cow urine is 'anti-bacterial, anti-fungal" with digestive benefits. If educated leaders spout this, how can we trust their decisions for elite institutions? 😲🇮🇳 #CowUrine #IITMadras #ScienceVsSuperstition — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) July 14, 2025 His post has sparked widespread debate on social media as many netizens defended Kamakoti's view about cow urine, pointing to traditional practices and alternative medicine systems. While some backed Bhatia's concern, arguing that such statements undermine scientific credibility. Supporting Kamakoti's claims, a user on X that goes by the name @AyurvedaMonk wrote, '@sabeer ji is shocked that #IITMadras Director claimed the antibacterial & antifungal qualities of #CowUrine & he is very much worried about the scientific temper of this country & such elite I request you not to worry because entire world has been publishing large numbers of researches about cow urines' health benefits. I hope you'll find this attached tweet helpful & will share with others.(sic)" In the viral video, Kamakoti shared an anecdote about a person who reportedly cured his fever by consuming 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," Kamakoti said in the video. While the IIT Madras director asserted that such practices have scientific grounding, critics argued that claims lacking consensus from the medical community can be misleading, especially when made by senior academic figures. Kamakoti had made the remarks during the 'Go Samrakshana Sala' event held on January 15 in Chennai as part of the Maatu Pongal celebrations. At the event, he had also emphasized the benefits of organic farming and the importance of indigenous cattle in agriculture and the economy. However, his comments drew sharp criticism from several political leaders. While critics had questioned the appropriateness of such claims coming from the head of a premier technical institution. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Print
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
From Bengaluru traffic to Modi govt's diplomacy, Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia is ruffling feathers
Bhatia's latest was a dig at the Prime Minister's tours and civilian honours conferred on him by various heads of states over the past decade. What began as a series of acid-laced questions about India's GDP growth on record, soon escalated into an all-out punditry marathon: rants against Operation Sindoor, bemoaning lack of access to quality education, and even attacking the Narendra Modi-led central government's policy priorities. New Delhi: Indian-American entrepreneur Sabeer Bhatia, better known as the founder of Hotmail, isn't someone afraid to speak their mind. Having stayed out of the public eye these past few years, except for the occasional press interview and paid speaking tour, Bhatia made a comeback with hot takes on everything from policy to economy, and how. His opening salvo was a direct X post questioning the significance of India becoming the world's fourth-largest economy when millions of citizens can barely afford to put food on the table. The post went viral, with thousands reposting the phrase, 'Can you feel it in your pocket?' Within days, Bhatia was also writing posts about a bottom-up initiative in BJP-governed states to encourage entrepreneurship among rural women, wondering if it was more performative politics than empowerment. Some social media users hailed him as the new 'people's megaphone' while others, particularly government-aligned pundits, brushed him aside as a 'self-appointed saviour'. But the momentum gained steam: By mid-May, Bhatia's follower count on X had risen from under 50,000 to more than 200,000. Returning to India in the early 2000s after selling Hotmail, he was eager to spearhead a technology revolution. He invested in Simpa Networks—a solar-energy company set to provide pay-as-you-go power to rural villages. Bhatia's next venture—a 200-acre 'Nano City' in Haryana's Panchkula—aimed to replicate Silicon Valley's knowledge hub. But critics flagged it for opaque land deals and unrealistic timelines. In 2019, the state government formally scrapped the project, citing unmet conditions. He launched two additional ventures: a mobile-first e-learning platform, EduSpark, and a blockchain-based supply chain company, Transcircle. ThePrint looks at some of his hot takes that have ruffled feathers on X. Also read: Viksit Bharat goal needs more than GDP growth. Shift policy from entitlement to empowerment Sabeer Bhatia's hot takes The first had to be Bhatia's breakthrough tweet questioning India's GDP data. Posted on 28 May, it followed chatter over how India is on track to surpass Japan to become the fourth largest economy in nominal terms. Bhatia shared a video showing quality of life in India, captioned: 'Growth without distribution is just inflation in disguise.' We overtook Japan in GDP……but can you feel it in your pocket? Growth without distribution is just inflation in disguise. — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) May 28, 2025 Just 2 days ago, on 9 July, Bhatia cited Pakistan assuming rotational presidency of the UNSC for the month of July to ask whether PM Modi's multi-nation tour had yielded any tangible outcome for India. 90 trips to 77 countries. Countless handshakes, speeches, and photo ops. End result: Pakistan assumes Presidency of the UN Security Council. Wow. — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) July 9, 2025 In a 29 June tweet, Bhatia launched a scathing attack on the central government's Viksit Bharat agenda, questioning how it planned to accomplish this target when hunger and poverty run deep in India. 34% kids under 5 malnourished. 20% never vaccinated. 8M children in bonded labour. 150M kids out of school. 25% teacher absenteeism… And we're dreaming of becoming 'developed' by 2047?Please explain how? — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 29, 2025 Soon after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad last month claimed more than 200 lives, Bhatia wrote: '63 percent said I should fly Air India in the next 2 weeks. But when asked if they would fly it, only 51 percent said yes.' 63% said I should fly Air India in the next 2 weeks. But when asked if they would fly it, only 51% said yes. Interesting, right? The advice you give others is different from what you'd follow yourself. Why is that? — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 21, 2025 He also questioned the legal definition of poverty in India, asking whether those who earn $5 each day instead of the earlier benchmark of $3 can now be considered 'not poor'. Some say 250M people in India aren't 'poor' anymore because they now make $5/day instead of $3. Really? Can you send your kids to school, buy books, shoes, food, pay rent and utilities on that? Which world are these people living in? — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 20, 2025 Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark last month that Indians who speak English 'will soon feel ashamed', Bhatia said it illustrated how politicians wanted to take India back to the pre-British era. Amazing plan a leader has for our nation: stop speaking English or feel ashamed. Do we want to move forward or go back in time? Should our kids dream of space, robots, and large language models—or imagine life before the British came? I'm at a loss for words… — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 19, 2025 In another post on X in the aftermath of the AI-171 crash, Bhatia asked: 'Do you really think the 4th largest economy in the world should still be having plane crashes due to systemic failures?' Some news reports suggest that my asking a few logical questions about the plane crash is a political act. Since when did asking questions become political? What kind of democracy equates inquiry with partisanship? I'm struggling to understand this logic. — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 15, 2025 Do you really think the 4th largest economy in the world should still be having plane crashes due to systemic failures? Time to question what truly makes a nation great. — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 12, 2025 In one of his tweets in early June, Bhatia had said that Delhi tops the list of five most polluted cities in the world. He urged Indians to stop celebrating GDP growth and focus on the AQI index. Delhi tops the list of the 5 most polluted major cities in the world — followed by Dhaka, Ouagadougou, Karachi, and Lahore. Fellow Indians, it's time to stop celebrating GDP and start focusing on AQI, education, and human wellbeing. Economic growth means nothing if we can't… — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 3, 2025 Criticising the government's efforts to locate the terrorists who executed the Pahalgam attack, Bhatia shared a candid image of a man trying to kill a fly with a bazooka. Would you use a bazooka to kill a fly? Then why all this madness? Where are the 4 men who actually did it? — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 1, 2025 In another rather cryptic post on 31 May, Bhatia remarked in an apparent dig at the Indian government, 'The country that taught tolerance to the world over 1000s of years is ruining its global brand by promoting untruths and misinformation.' The country that taught tolerance to the world over 1000s of years is ruining its global brand by promoting untruths and misinformation. Can the outcome of all this be good? — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) May 31, 2025 In another post on X in June, the Hotmail founder wrote that Indians must think long and hard before celebrating predictions of the country being on track to become the fourth largest economy. Instead of hanging your head in shame that 415 million people in India survive on $3.10/day, you brag about being the world's 4th largest economy. Shame on you. — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 10, 2025 More recently, Bhatia trained his guns at traffic management in Bengaluru. I know Bengaluru folks may call this negative… but the traffic here is INSANE. I ride the same distance on my bicycle in 1/3 the time in the Bay Area. How do people tolerate this every day? — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) July 1, 2025 In another post on X, Bhatia gave his two cents on UP Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma chanting 'Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Bajrang Bali' when constituents surrounded him to complain about power cuts in the state. Just when you think ministerial knowledge and concern for citizens can't get more bizarre, a power minister of a major state responds to complaints about power cuts by chanting Jai Shri Ram and Jai Shri Bajrang Bali. Electricity not included. Wow. — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) July 10, 2025 Taking a jibe at BJP MP Kangana Ranaut's remarks in Mandi during her visit to her flash floods-stricken parliamentary constituency, Bhatia said she has no intention to help the people and lacks leadership skills. A leader recently told her people she can't help them—no staff, no funds, no power to act. Add to that: no intention of helping them either. Why hold office then? Leadership isn't about what you lack, it's about what you do with what you have. — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) July 8, 2025 Bhatia also had some advice for the political class: as long as they 'want to 'rule' and people think they need to be 'ruled'—not 'served'—nothing will truly change'. Indian politics hasn't changed much since 1947. As long as parties want to 'rule' and people think they need to be 'ruled'—not 'served'—nothing will truly change. — Sabeer Bhatia (@sabeer) June 30, 2025 (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: #ByeByeAP to #LuluBackInAP: Naidu's moves to make Andhra 'business friendly' & woo back investors
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
SBI employees gives Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia the most unexpected shoutout for his legacy
Sparking Nostalgia and Online Reactions — sabeer (@sabeer) A Lasting Legacy Remembered About Sabeer Bhatia Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia recently received an unexpected and touching show of appreciation from staff at a State Bank of India (SBI) branch. Bhatia, who had simply visited the bank to handle routine matters related to his account, shared a series of photographs from the visit on social media. The images captured the bank's employees warmly welcoming him with a shawl, garland, and smiles — a gesture that seemed to take him completely by a brief caption accompanying the photos posted on X (formerly Twitter), Bhatia remarked that he had only gone to the branch for some account-related work but was met with immense kindness. He expressed gratitude to the SBI staff, stating that the photographs conveyed the heartfelt nature of the the post, social media users flocked to the comments, sharing a mix of admiration, humor, and observations. One user noted that Bhatia's VIP status likely contributed to the warm treatment, to which Bhatia politely responded, acknowledging that the recognition had been entirely user questioned whether the SBI staff used Hotmail, prompting Bhatia to reveal that the employees had shared that their first email account was indeed on Hotmail. The remark stirred a sense of nostalgia among many users who reminisced about their early internet experiences.A few commenters pointed out common frustrations with public sector banks in India, particularly around staff availability. In response, Bhatia acknowledged that his experience at the branch had been seamless, adding that the staff were not only present but also incredibly helpful — even offering him a cup of coffee during the the interaction itself was brief, it reignited appreciation for Bhatia's contributions to the tech world. Many users expressed how Hotmail had transformed email communication for them. One individual reflected that Bhatia deserved more recognition for changing how people viewed digital correspondence, with Bhatia humbly thanking them for their comments also joked about the optics of the event, comparing it to ceremonial garlanding by political leaders. Bhatia, however, emphasized again that the experience was a surprise and that he hadn't anticipated such a in 1968, Sabeer Bhatia is an Indian-American entrepreneur best known for co-founding Hotmail in 1996. The service revolutionized web-based email by offering free access independent of internet service providers, aligning its launch with U.S. Independence Day to symbolize freedom. Bhatia led Hotmail as CEO until Microsoft acquired it in recent years, Bhatia has continued his entrepreneurial journey with ventures such as ShowReel, a platform initially designed for job seekers and now evolving into an AI-powered entrepreneurship course.
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Millionaire wishes ‘adopted country' US on 4th of July while advising Indians: ‘The way I see it…'
Sabeer Bhatia, the Indian-American co-founder of Hotmail, has irked social media with his latest post. In his Fourth of July message, commemorating US Independence Day, Bhatia also directed a piece of advice toward his Indian followers. Sabeer Bhatia has attracted intense criticism for his tweets on India. (Instagram/ Bhatia started his post with an American flag emoticon and wrote, 'Happy 250th Anniversary to my adopted country.' He completed the line with an Indian flag emoji. In the next line, he shared advice for Indian citizens on how they can turn their country into a nation like America: 'The way I see it, India can become as prosperous as the US—all it takes is a change in the way its citizens think.' Take a look at the post: Sabeer Bhatia's post on the 4th of July. (X/@sabeer) What did social media say? The share prompted mixed reactions. While some enraged social media users called out Bhatia for his tweet, a few supported him. An individual remarked, 'Your adopted country, the USA, has clearly demonstrated its insatiable appetite for committing genocide. It has waged wars more than 100 times across the world, directly or by proxy, after the end of WW2. Millions of innocent civilians have died as a result of these conflicts.' Bhatia responded, 'I don't think you should want to come to the US. Remain in your tricked out planet.' Another commented, '100%. The only problem is MINDSET.' A third expressed, 'When are you shifting to India then?' A fourth wrote, 'Sabeer, we Indians are hypocrites. Unless that changes at the grassroots, it's going to be tough. We can blame our governments, etc., but it is always the people who accept mediocrity, who are double-faced in their own dealings—the day-to-day is what matters.'
Mint
04-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia wishes 'adopted country' US on Independence Day; it has Indian flag emoji
Sabeer Bhatia, the Indian-origin entrepreneur who co-founded Hotmail, has once again stirred debate online with his comments about India and the United States. On the occasion of America's Independence Day, Bhatia shared a message on social media praising the US, which he called his "adopted country," while also offering advice to Indian citizens. Posting on X (formerly Twitter) on the 250th anniversary of US independence, Bhatia wrote, 'Happy 250th Anniversary to my adopted country,' adding an American glass emoji and the Indian flag. He followed this with a message to Indians, saying that India could achieve the same prosperity as the US if there was a shift in how people think. 'The way I see it, India can become as prosperous as the US — all it takes is a change in the way its citizens think,' he wrote. This is not the first time Bhatia has faced criticism for his views on India. Last month, he posted on X highlighting poverty levels in the country. Referring to India's economic pride, he questioned the celebration of being the world's fourth-largest economy while millions still struggle daily. In a post that drew sharp reactions online, Bhatia wrote, 'Instead of hanging your head in shame that 415 million people in India survive on \$3.10/day \[approx. ₹ 265/day], you brag about being the world's 4th largest economy. Shame on you.' His comments have sparked debate on social media, with many users questioning his contributions to India while living abroad and accusing him of repeatedly criticising his home country.
