Latest news with #IndianVaishnava
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
'Google creates stress, I deal with relief': When Sundar Pichai got reality check from IIT batchmate who took the road less travelled
ISKCON monk Gauranga Das shared an interesting anecdote about meeting Google CEO Sundar Pichai during a London event. Speaking on the final day of the India Global Forum 2025, Das — an IIT Bombay BTech graduate — recalled how Pichai, who is the same age as him, once complimented him on his youthful appearance. ISKCON monk Gauranga Das, an IIT Bombay alumnus who left behind a promising career to embrace a spiritual path, shared a memorable anecdote about meeting Google CEO Sundar Pichai during a talk at the India Global Forum 2025 in London. Speaking at the event held at Taj St. James' Court, Das recalled how he and Pichai were part of the same batch at IIT, though they studied in different branches and never interacted during their college years. Das pursued engineering at IIT Bombay, while Pichai studied metallurgical engineering at IIT Kharagpur. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indonesia: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo '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,'' said the ISKCON monk. Das attributed his youthful appearance to a stress-free lifestyle rooted in spirituality, contrasting it with the pressures of the modern digital world. He also spoke about the harmful impact of social media on mental health, warning of rising digital addiction and loneliness among youth. Live Events 'We have a huge problem. Globally, 230 million are addicted to social media. In Bharat alone, 70% of teenagers spend seven hours daily online. One in seven people around the world is suffering from mental health issues,' he said. Gauranga Das, also known as Gauranga Prabhu (born ASK Anand), is a prominent Indian Vaishnava monk and senior leader within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He holds several key positions in the organisation and is widely respected for his spiritual and social contributions. Das left a corporate career early in life to dedicate himself fully to spiritual service. He is also a published author, with books such as The Art of Resilience and The Art of Focus to his name. It is believed that he first met Sundar Pichai during Akash Ambani's wedding in 2019.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
‘Google creates stress': What IIT Bombay-educated ISKCON monk told Sundar Pichai
ISKCON monk Gauranga Das revealed an interesting anecdote about meeting Google CEO Sundar Pichai while speaking at a London event. Das, who holds a BTech from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, was addressing the audience on the final day of the India Global Forum 2025 when he revealed that Pichai – who is the same age as him – once complimented him on his youthful appearance. ISKCON monk Gauranga Das with Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a throwback photo. The spiritual leader attributed his appearance to the lack of stress as he spoke about the detrimental effects of social media in exacerbating feelings of stress and loneliness. When an ISKCON monk met Sundar Pichai Gauranga Das is an IIT Bombay graduate who left a promising career to embrace spirituality. Sundar Pichai, today the CEO of Google, is also an IIT graduate - he holds a BTech in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur. Studying in different branches of IIT, albeit in the same batch, their paths never crossed while they were in college. However, while speaking at IGF London, Gauranga Das revealed that when he met Pichai, 53, years after graduating from college, the CEO of Google complimented his looks. '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,' said the ISKCON monk. During his address, which took place at Taj St. James' Court, Gauranga Das also spoke aboyut the role of social media in digital addiction, loneliness, and anxiety. 'We have a huge problem. Globally, 230 million are addicted to social media. In Bharat alone, 70% of teenagers spend seven hours daily online. One in seven people around the world is suffering from mental health issues,' he said. Who is Gauranga Das? Gauranga Das, also known as Gauranga Prabhu (birth name ASK Anand) is an Indian Vaishnava monk and senior leader within ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness). He holds several positions within ISKCON. Das left a corporate role early on to fully dedicate himself to spiritual and social work. He is also a published author with books like The Art of Resilience and The Art of Focus to his credit. It is believed that he met Pichai during the wedding of Akash Ambani in 2019.
