From IIT Bombay to Monkhood: Man Who Studied with Sundar Pichai Shares His Journey

quick Summary

• Gauranga Das, an IIT Bombay graduate and ISKCON monk, is known for his spiritual teachings, books like the art of Resilience and The Art of Focus, and global advocacy for mental health and inner peace.
• At the India Global Forum 2025 in London, he recalled an encounter with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, a batchmate at IIT Bombay. Pichai remarked on Das’s youthful appearance compared to his own.
• Das humorously attributed it to dealing with God rather than the stress caused by Google.
• He addressed social media addiction during the event,citing that 230 million people globally are addicted to social media. In India (Bharat), 70% of teenagers reportedly spend seven hours daily online.
• Highlighted that one in seven people worldwide faces mental health challenges due to digital overload.

Read More

Indian Opinion Analysis

Gauranga Das’s story serves as a thoughtful reminder about the balance between professional achievement and personal well-being. His decision to pivot from engineering at IIT Bombay toward spirituality showcases an alternative approach to modern success narratives rooted in mindfulness rather than corporate advancement. The light-hearted exchange with Sundar Pichai emphasizes this divergence between technology-driven stress versus spiritual relief.

The statistics shared about social media addiction among youth highlight pressing concerns for mental health in India amid rapid digitization. With young Indians spending significant time online daily, initiatives emphasizing mindfulness could play a key role in mitigating its detrimental effects on their psychological state. As global leaders continue dialogues about technology’s intersection with human advancement at platforms like IGF London, voices like Gauranga Das enrich these discussions by advocating inner balance over external dependence-a outlook increasingly relevant in today’s hyper-connected era.