Tech CEO Meets Peace CEO: Gauranga Das Outshines Sundar Pichai with Divine Comeback

Image Source: Republic World

At the India Global Forum 2025 in London, a heartwarming and humorous anecdote took center stage when ISKCON monk Gauranga Das, a graduate of IIT Bombay, narrated a warm recollection of meeting his IIT batchmate—Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

The two of them, having studied in the same batch but in different streams at IIT, ran into each other many years later. Pichai, who is now 53, was struck by how young Gauranga Das looked and remarked, "You look younger than me." The monk's prompt and pithy reply? "You have to deal with Google, which causes stress. I have to deal with God, who frees stress.".

The dialogue invoked laughter and reflexivity from the audience, as Gauranga Das seized the moment to comment on the cost of digital saturation and the importance of mental health. He cited startling figures:

230 million social media addicts across the globe
70% of Indian youth spend over 7 hours online daily
1 in every 7 people on the planet suffers from mental illnesses

Gauranga Das, who left behind a corporate career to explore spirituality, is now a top ISKCON leader and a bestselling author of titles like The Art of Resilience and The Art of Focus. His takeaway: in the age of hyperconnectivity, inner peace may well be the greatest tech upgrade of all.

Relevant Sources: Economic Times, Hindustan Times; News18