Barghav was born in Chennai, India, and grew up in Mahomet, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with degrees in political science and communications, with minors in Arab studies and informatics. During his time as an undergraduate, he interned at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., along with several other organizations in fields ranging from healthcare to consulting. After graduating in 2019, Barghav studied Arabic and interned with NGOs in Amman, Jordan, as a Boren Scholar. Upon returning to the U.S., he worked for the Middle East Institute as a program associate. As a 2022 Rangel Fellow, he interned for the House Foreign Affairs Committee during the summer before joining the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs as an MPA student. He hopes to continue studying languages in graduate school and looks forward to traveling as a student. Barghav's other hobbies include reading mysteries, playing card games, and exploring new cities with friends.