‘COVID-19 made us all realise what our mortality is’ – 15 quotes from India’s pandemic struggle

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous edition here). This special series of compilations focuses on India’s COVID-19 struggle. Share these quotes and excerpts with your networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

See also our pick of Top Quotes of 2021 on Entrepreneurship, Investment, Digital Transformation, Storytelling, The India Opportunity, Pandemic Resilience, Failure Recovery, Design, and Art.

The pandemic has led to a sudden increase in the demand for food and pharmaceutical last-mile cold chain globally. - Rajat Gupta, TESSOL

There were challenges related to health, family, logistics, and then marketing. - Piruz Khambatta, Rasna

The other challenges with the transgender community is that access to livelihood is mainly through the limited means of badhai, basti, train mangti etc. All of this was lost during the pandemic. - Yoga Sreelesh Nambiar

The pandemic massively disrupted [film] production plans. - Shiva Krish, 'Thirumathi nangai'

Since April 2020 we have been growing 78X and supplying medicines all over the country. - Akshat Nayyar, Truemeds

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The pandemic gave me an option to shift career and explore more. It helped me to develop my own [art] style. - Sindhu Bhairavi

The focus of my practice remains unchanged but there is an element of mortality that is gradually entering my [art] works. - Anni Kumari, 'Codes of a future'

Artists had to adapt to a ‘new normal’ life as art fairs, exhibitions, and workshops were indefinitely put on hold. - Pavan Dhananjaya

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the whole world has moved to AI. - Srikanth Velamakanni, Fractal

Due to the pandemic, there has been a shift towards online consumption. - Pankaj Sharma, L’Oréal India

Just like any bad experience, COVID-19 too, taught us a lot about the importance of going tech-savvy. - Preksha Chopra, Camex Wellness

A more recent example of crowdfunding is the PM CARES Fund, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indian citizens to contribute to support the government amid the COVID-19 pandemic. - Bibhu Mishra, Global Education and Leadership Foundation

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[Year in Review 2021] Amid COVID-19, these 10 non-profits created social impact this year

When the pandemic hit, many young people returned to their hometowns, mostly in Tier II and III cities. The work-from-home option allowed them to find jobs while sitting at homes in these small towns. - Nandini Mansinghka, Mumbai Angels Network

As we take on the challenge of reconstruction post-Covid, addressing the mounting crisis of inequity is most vital to move forward. - Ajai Chowdhry, Epic Foundation

COVID-19 made us all realise what our mortality is—that this is one life, we have to live and for that, we need to look after ourselves. - Radhika Ghai, Kindlife

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).