‘Risk management is not an idea, it is a culture’ - 25 quotes from India’s COVID-19 struggle
In this compilation, we present thought-provoking quotes from the week of October 5-11 that frame India’s battle with the coronavirus pandemic.
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.
In the past 20 years, the internet has flattened the world. And now, the coronavirus pandemic has further flattened the world. - Matt Clifford, EF
As long as you survive, the market will return to normal. The customer is adapting to tech faster. - Teruhide Sato, BEENEXT
Every startup will have its ways of surviving through the current crisis and preparing for the morning after. But a lot depends on the fighting abilities of the founders. - Dhruv Nath and Sushanto Mitra, ‘Funding your Startup’
Fashion and fitness are expected to witness high festive sales volumes due to an increase in the number of Indians preferring to buy online for convenience and safety reasons. - Snapdeal
With COVID-19, consumer spending in festive season 2020 is expected to get impacted by approximately one third in value in comparison to festive season 2019 with major decline expected in property, automobile and jewellery purchases. - Sachin Taparia, Localcircles
Since the pandemic has resulted in no seasonal festive bazaars this year, it is more important for local retailers to explore the benefits of the ecommerce landscape. - Anurag Avula, Shopmatic
Native artisans have suffered hugely during the pandemic and their recovery is perhaps the toughest. - Sriram Sabhapathy, LastBench
India's GDP (gross domestic product) was hit by COVID-19, the highest across major economies. - Goldman Sachs
Rummy is such an old game. It has been passed on through generations. Now, with the ease of playing online, more people are viewing it as a source of recreation and social interaction while staying indoors. - Navkiran Singh, Baazi Games
The Indian startup ecosystem has witnessed steady growth over the past few years, but with the ongoing pandemic, the entire ecosystem has been challenged to innovate & overcome. - Sudhir Sethi, Chiratae Ventures
The pandemic has fast-tracked the growth of the Indian medtech industry. - Nikhil Kurele, Nocca Robotics
While we recover from COVID, it is necessary to ensure that we ‘Build Back Better’, and enhance the resilience of our economies and societies to future disruptions caused by environmental degradation and change. - Shoko Noda, UNDP
While the last few months have been difficult for many companies, it has forced everyone to focus on what truly matters. - Tarun Davda, Matrix India
The practice of indiscriminate disposal of biomedical waste can be a potential source of infection of COVID-19 to municipal workers and the community at large. - Deepak Saxena, IIPH
Wardrobe pieces that that can be repeated and reused in multiple ways without skipping a style beat will be in demand in the post COVID era. - Rashi Menda, IS.U
It's important that we be obsessive about how we keep the environment safe so our customers feel safe. - Rishad Premji, Wipro
The important thing for the customer is safety across the supply chain. - Abhinav Singh, Amazon Transportation Services
Many have come to believe that a digital detox is the best way to reconnect with family and friends, and pay more attention to health and work. - Sheela Krishnaswamy, NICHE
COVID-19 is a tunnel where physical aspects of shopping or purchasing are muted, and that’s expected to continue for the next 14 to 18 months. However, digital upgrades are here to stay. - Gaurav Baid, Avataar.Me
In the last six months, we have seen how COVID-19 has created an era of remote anywhere. It has led to the evolution of a new workplace from a physical space to one residing in a virtual world. - Samik Roy, Microsoft India
The future of knowledge work is remote. - Ryan Hoover, Product Hunt
The pandemic has only helped accelerate what was inevitable — the movement from offline to a more online way of L&D efforts. - Vikas Phadnis, Auctus Capital
A rising number of highly skilled, displaced workers are turning to ‘gigs’ or contractual employment as they wait for economic improvement. - Sonica Aron, Marching Sheep
Innovation is going to be very crucial to meet the COVID-19 challenge. - Harsh Mariwala, Marico
Coming back from COVID is about returning to time-tested business fundamentals and adapting them to the unique realities and challenges of our time. - Evian Gutman, ‘Coming Back from COVID’
In today’s digital age, information to better mental health is both accessible and affordable. - Radhika Bapat
The shocks associated with COVID-19 are now pushing many towards greater fragility and pain. - Antonio Gueterres, UN
Risk management is not an idea, it is a culture. - Hersh Shah, IRM India
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).