From coronavirus lockdown to economic slowdown – 40 quotes from India’s COVID-19 battle
In this compilation, we present inspiring quotes from the week of June 1-7 that frame India’s phased emergence from the coronavirus lockdown.
Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week. This special series of compilations focuses on India’s COVID-19 struggle (see last week’s post here). Share these quotes and excerpts with your networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
Let’s make sure no one sleeps hungry. - Sonu Sood
We cannot fail. People need food now. So, we just cannot afford to fail. - Vikas Khanna, Feed India
Women have contributed disproportionately, whether in care or in suffering in this pandemic. They are also going to experience a disproportionate economic fallout in all spheres. - Priya Varadarajan, Durga
Working from home allows many women an opportunity to earn a living while being at home, opening up opportunities like never before. - Aswathy Palakkal, Dunzo
Consider doing a family financial audit – an important task that often gets ignored. - Hena Mehta, Lean In Bangalore
There are about 63 million micro industries, 0.33 million small, and about 5,000 medium enterprises in the country; all playing a crucial role in building a self-reliant India. - Kushal Nahata, FarEye
Indian small businesses form the backbone of the economy, and so, when they are impacted, the whole economy gets impacted. - Gopal Pillai, Amazon India
In the market where content is free, edtech companies must evolve to facilitate the actual learning process through value-added services. - Kunal Malik, PlanetSpark
Foodservice operators will have to invest in upping the game... bridging the gap between Indian and world standards. - Dheeraj Gupta, Jumboking
As India opens up and we go back to airports, public places, and hotels, disinfection of surfaces is important. - Balaji Vishwanathan, Invento Robotics
The current pandemic has really brought fitness and immunity building to the top of the agenda. - Adarsh Gupta, Brilliant Wellness
While the businesses are still navigating financial challenges, the aftermath of coronavirus on the gems and jewellery industry seems to be daunting. - Sanjay Kothari, KGK Group
It’s essential for brands to provide what the customer needs the most -- quality with affordability. - Nohar Nath, Kiabza
With the lockdown affecting the whole of the industry, many brands are now open to innovative, raw, and personal ways of content creation. - Dharika Merchant, Alchemy Group
COVID-19 has underscored the importance of shopping locally. More than ever, merchants need efficient ways to connect with their local customers today. - Sandeep Komaravelly, Shopify
The one thing that the pandemic has starkly demonstrated is the importance of building resilience in communities and company value chains. - Mahesh Pratap Singh, Flipkart
The event industry has been the hardest hit, and one can see no major events happening in this year. - Syed Fawaz Ahmed, Digital Jalebi
Contactless, cashless, and ‘leave-at- door’ deliveries are becoming the new normal. The delivery ecosystem now is very different from the one we knew just a few months back. - Kushal Nahata, FarEye
Digital transformation will help the builder and buyer to close the deal effectively. - Bhavadeep Reddy, HousingMan
Only those industries will survive that are able to transform themselves into an organised and tech-enabled industry, and intra-city logistics is one such space. - Ankur Bansal, Blacksoil
In recent weeks, there has been a sea-change in the way consumers access various healthcare services, with a growing acceptance of digital and home-based services. - Geetha Manjunath, Niramai
The first thing to look at is mobility…will people like to share or own? Money is tight, and people may not want to own vehicles. - Dattatri Salagame, RBEI
Cycling is definitely going to help the cause of building a better place once the pandemic dies down. - Arvind Bhateja, #ResetWithCycling
Two schools of thought are prevailing one suggesting that the consumer will become extremely conservative and the other suggesting that COVID-19 has given a new meaning of life. - Chef Tarun Sibal, One Fine Meal
Deep discounting is expected to plague retailers for all of 2020 as mass-consumerism will certainly fall. Brands must find innovative ways to offer value and rethink their business strategies. - Shivang Desai, Bigthinx
A continuous scenario planning around finance, sales, supply chain and operations gives businesses the desired agility for a longer sustenance. - Arvinder Pal Singh, Enquero
Lockdowns across the world have forced companies, big and small, to take the digital route. Small companies now need to consider providing online services to customers, right from onboarding to payment. - Ankit Satsangi, Capital Float
IoT devices collect a lot of events and data points, and identify patterns that can help facility managers. - Malcolm Dsouza, Spintly
While people realise that video calling is great, it may not currently fit all use cases. The future may see more such platforms embedded inside workflows. - Tony Wang, Agora.io
The acceleration towards digital adoption in the banking and finance sector is expected to rise with the introduction of video-based digital KYC. - Sachin Bhatia, Ameyo
Cash has the eternal advantage of touch, feel, and anonymity. How does a wallet or UPI go one up? - Ashwin Shenoy, PayMate
Financiers need to come up with better technology-based platforms where they can provide finance to individuals faster, and with the least expected documentation. - Sumit Chhazed, OTO Capital
There are a lot of benefits that can be gained when residents within a community are connected. - Nikhil Bapna, Simply Local
A major marketing app trend in 2020 will be the promotion of data policy through apps and living up to the promised transparency. - Siddhartha Vanvani, DigiDarts
Most venture capitalists like to bet on tech companies. - Upkar S Sharma, Crea Worldwide
Governments need visibility into the startup world. - Ravi Narayan, T-Hub
Doing a mental wellbeing assessment in the first week of post lockdown will give insights to leaders on what are the top three to five key issues that is on everyone’s mind. - Ashwin Naik, Let’s Talk
Resilience is not muscle memory; it is the ability to overcome barriers. It is the emotional equivalent of physical strength; one even the most ardent investor would term ‘essential’. - Asheesh Chanda, Kristal.AI
The business of any business is to stay in business and sometimes harsh decisions have to be taken, some of them are unpleasant and they are hard, and give you sleepless nights. - Rutvik Doshi, Inventus Capital Partners
Now, the world must unite and focus on humanity-centric aspects of development. Advancements nations make in the health sector will matter more than ever before. - PM Narendra Modi
If there was a time to make a bet on India, there may not be a better time than now. - Gautam Adani, Adani Gas Ltd.
Building self-sufficiency with the right level of collaboration will be the mantra going forward. The lockdown has made us realise how we are capable of doing much more. - Debjani Ghosh, NASSCOM
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).
Edited by Teja Lele