‘The pandemic can stop schools, but it cannot stop education’ – 40 quotes from India’s COVID-19 struggle
In this compilation, we present thought-provoking quotes from the week of June 14-20 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 focus 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.
After the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for automated [washroom] products has increased as nobody wants to touch anything. - Viknesh Jain, Euronics
Nutraceuticals products are growing in India as consumers are getting more health-conscious. - Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, 9Unicorns
We are going to fully recover (economically) when a majority of us have vaccination. - Kunal Shah, CRED
Mental health is not discussed enough in rural areas, and you get a sense of just how much it is needed during times like these. - Divya Hegde, TIP Sessions Charitable Trust
Herd immunity through vaccination is the preferred pathway. Herd immunity through natural infection will come at a colossal loss of human life and suffering. - Kaja Abbas, LSHTM
The need to make hygienic and homely food accessible to the masses is more urgent now than ever before. - Vaibbhav Arora, Bhojan Tech
Small outbreaks can really start becoming very serious if you ignore them. These are some of the learnings. - Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon
According to a WHO report, more than 50 percent of vaccine wastage takes place during distribution, particularly at last-mile delivery. - Taslimarif Saiyed, C-CAMP
With Government & Organisations across the board working on an aggressive vaccination programme, we are hopeful for quicker restoration of normalcy and accelerated hiring scenario. - Sekhar Garisa, Monster.com
India is striving to vaccinate over a billion people at a fast clip. Hence, every vial must be preserved well for full effectiveness. - N Venu, Hitachi ABB Power Grids
The demand for COVID-19 tests has surged almost five times during the second wave compared to the first wave. - Vikas Gupta, MyDiagnostics
We have to learn to live with the virus, complementing vaccines with ramping up investment in healthcare, logistics, and research. - RBI report
There is no single nutrient that will act as a magic bullet to protect people [from COVID-19]. - Philip Calder, University of Southampton
In the second wave of coronavirus, we saw what kind of challenges the ever-changing form of this virus can bring before us. - PM Modi
The economy contracted last year, for the first time in four decades, by as much as 7.3 percent. - D Subbarao, Former RBI Governor
Owing to the lack of opportunities and resources due to the pandemic, many sports professionals and athletes were giving up on their dreams as they were unable to sustain themselves. - Bhavit Sheth, Dream Sports
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught companies a very important lesson — a need to assess the vulnerability of their supply chain. - Vaidyanathan Jayaraman, SPJSGM
With COVID-induced lockdowns in the last few months, each and every brand is looking for a way to build reach and scale. - Vaibhav Chawla, Wherehouse.io
It’s heartbreaking to see people suffer all over the nation. Although COVID-19 cases have reduced, the situation of numerous families still remains grim. - Sonu Sood
The pandemic taught us many things. It taught us that gender inequality leads to more suffering — and even higher rates of death — for women. - Jigme Konchok, Kung Fu Nun
Organisations need to introduce gender-sensitive and family-friendly policies to effectively mitigate the challenges of the new work-life design. - Amanda Puravankara, Provident Housing Limited
Period poverty has always been a problem in India, but Covid has only intensified this problem. - Anamara Baig, empowHER Foundation
The Covid-19 induced lockdowns have forced us into a kind of involuntary domesticity. At first, it was chaos, followed by coziness, and later imprisonment. - Natasha Garyali, MomJunction
Disruption does not have to mean despair. Instead, we must keep the focus on the twin foundation of repair and prepare. - PM Modi
This year, the pandemic’s intensity is greater. But unlike last year, the duration of the lockdown is less. - Ashu Ratan Khare, Rock and Storm Distilleries
As the economy reopens post the second wave, a dual-pronged government strategy is required to boost consumption and support industry till the demand is well-entrenched. - TV Narendran, CII
[The pandemic] showed how, done right, the intersection of technology with humanity, can produce some incredible things for the world. - Tim Cook, Apple
The last 8-9 months have seen the transformation of the small merchant. Because of the pandemic, they’ve adopted tech very fast. - Amit Kumar, Shoopy
Since COVID-19 has restricted the scope of physical networking among like-minded entrepreneurs, virtual cohorts have become an integral part of entrepreneurs’ behavioural change. - Archanna Das, ASCENT Foundation
As the COVID crisis continues, digital tools at least offer a ray of hope via timely treatment and daily disease management for saving millions of lives. - Gautam Chopra, BeatO
For digital operations, restaurants need to make sure they follow top safety protocols. - Beerud Sheth, Gupshup
COVID-19 has forced every single organisation globally to look at work-from-home and remote working options. This led to a large number of companies looking at cloud solutions to replace their on-premise infrastructure. - Ritesh Arora, BrowserStack
COVID-19 has accelerated India’s digital transformation as more and more consumers rely on digital services. - Nitin Bansal, Ericsson
The pandemic turned out to be a game-changer for the payments and financial services industry. - Suhail Sameer, BharatPe
Adoption of automation is an imperative for all customer touchpoints and has been further accelerated by the pandemic onslaught. - Sushanto Mitra, Lead Angels
A pandemic has made us realise that this is not something one hospital, city, or country can manage alone. We all need to work together. - Chef Andrés, World Central Kitchen
Art is a reflection of our times, but it can also centre us, make us question certain values, and certainly inspire us. - Kishore Singh, DAG
All of us should learn how to protect our positive mindset, which will not only serve in these difficult times but also help for the rest of our lives. - Ashna Dhanuka
Even in desperate situations, there are always winners. Some industries ended up winning big – like gaming, streaming, and related entertainment, and even alcoholic beverages, to name a few. - Yuko Shimizu, DesignUp 2021
The pandemic teaches us to have our own reflection and start something fresh. - Meldrick Bob, At Adau
The pandemic can stop schools, but it cannot stop education. - AK Srikanth, KLAY
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 Megha Reddy