Gauranga Das is a monk affiliated with ISCKON, and he is quite popular for his spiritual and philosophical videos on social media. However, before going towards the path of monkhood, he used to be an IITian. Google CEO, Sundar Pichai and Das were batchmates as well. Being from different branches, they never met while studying there. But the spiritual talker revealed that they had met once, many years later, after going down completely different journeys. When Sundar Pichai saw Gauranga Das he was surprised to see how the monk looked younger than him.
Gauranga Das revealed that Sundar Pichai was surprised to see him
While talking on the last day of the India Global Forum 2025 in London, Gauranga Das shared an interesting anecdote involving his IIT batchmate and now Google CEO, Sundar Pichai. The monk said that when they met after many years, Pichai was surprised to see him and quipped that the spiritual speaker looked younger than him. Das replied that the CEO deals with Google, which creates stress, while he deals with God, who relieves it. Talking in the forum, Gouranga Das said:
“I went to IIT in the same batch as Sundar Pichai. Years later, we met, and he said, ‘You look younger than me.’ I replied, ‘You deal with Google, which creates stress. I deal with God, who releases stress.”
Gauranga Das also talked about issues such as anxiety and social media addiction
At the same international forum, Gouranga Das talked about and addressed issues pertaining to mental health, stress, and social media. He stated that it is a huge problem, as in India alone, 70% of teenagers are addicted to their phones and spend 7 hours on screen daily. The monk also said that one in seven people is suffering mental health-related issues on a global scale. Talking about these problems, Gauranga Das said:
“We have a huge problem. Globally, 230 million are addicted to social media. In India alone, 70% of teenagers spend seven hours daily online. One in seven people around the world is suffering from mental health issues.”
Gauranga Das talked about how reading the Bhadvad Gita changed his life
Talking about himself, Gauranga Das said that he had never thought that he would someday be wearing all saffron garb. However, reading the Gita changed his life completely. The monk also stated that he was proud of being a part of the Vedic traditions and the Krishna consciousness movement. Currently, Gauranga Das holds the position of Director of ISKCON’s Govardhan Ecovillage. He also works with the UN as the Faith for Earth Counsellor for their United Nations Environment Programme. Moreover, apart from being an IITian, he is also a visiting faculty member at IIT Nagpur. The spiritual guru said:
“I never imagined I’d wear saffron. But the Gita changed my life. Our Vedic tradition is an ocean of wisdom, and I’m proud to be part of a movement from technology to transcendence.”
What are your thoughts on the anecdote shared by Gauranga Das about his interaction with Sundar Pichai?
Also Read: Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai’s Wealth: Mansion Worth Millions, Swanky Cars And Rs 5400 Cr Net Worth