'I Deal with God, You with Google’: ISKCON Monk Gauranga Das to Google CEO Sundar Pichai

New Delhi: At the India Global Forum (IGF) 2025 in London, ISKCON monk Gauranga Das shared a memorable encounter with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, while also raising serious concerns about digital addiction and mental health linked to social media. 

Addressing the audience at Taj St. James’ Court on the final day of the event, Gauranga Das revealed that he and Sundar Pichai were part of the same batch at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), though they studied at different campuses and never met during college. While Gauranga Das completed his BTech from IIT Bombay, Pichai graduated in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur.

“Years after graduation, we met, and he said, ‘You look younger than me,’” Das recounted. “I replied, ‘You deal with Google, which creates stress. I deal with God, who releases stress.’”

Das, who holds a BTech from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, credited his youthful appearance to a stress-free lifestyle. He used this light-hearted moment to shift attention toward a serious issue, the mental toll of social media.

“We have a huge problem,” he said. “Globally, 230 million people are addicted to social media. In Bharat alone, 70% of teenagers spend nearly seven hours online every day. One in seven people in the world is suffering from mental health problems.”

Gauranga Das underlined how the overuse of digital platforms is driving anxiety, loneliness, and digital addiction, especially among the younger generation. 

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