A fresh controversy erupted at Delhi University’s Lakshmibai College after Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) president Ronak Khatri smeared cow dung on the office walls of Principal Pratyush Vatsala. This move came in protest against the Principal’s earlier act of applying cow dung on classroom walls as a method to beat the heat.
In a video that surfaced online, Vatsala was seen coating the walls of a classroom with cow dung. The Principal later confirmed that the act was part of a faculty-led research initiative titled ‘Study of Heat Stress Control by Using Traditional Indian Knowledge.’
“It is under process. I will be able to share details of the full research after a week. The research is being carried out in porta cabins. I coated one of them myself because there’s no harm in touching natural mud. Some people are spreading misinformation without knowing the full details,” Vatsala clarified.
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#WATCH | Delhi: Days after the Principal of Delhi University’s Lakshmibai College, Pratyush Vatsala was seen applying cow dung on the walls of a classroom in what she calls an attempt to beat the heat, DUSU president Ronak Khatri smeared cow dung on the walls of her office in… pic.twitter.com/U5m6CcPWo3
— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2025
The video, which she initially shared in the teachers’ WhatsApp group, later made its way to social media and sparked backlash from students. In her message, she stated, “Those who have classes here will soon get these rooms in a new look. Efforts are being made to make your teaching experience pleasant.”
However, the use of cow dung on campus walls triggered criticism and protests. DUSU president Ronak Khatri took matters into his own hands, replicating the act in the Principal’s office as a symbolic protest, further intensifying the debate around the use of traditional practices in modern educational infrastructure.
The incident has drawn mixed reactions, with some supporting the use of indigenous methods and others questioning its appropriateness and hygiene in an academic environment.
