Unlock 1.0 – 50 quotes from India’s battle against COVID-19

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.

The crisis brings you experience and teaches you to never expect a straight line. - Parag Saxena, New Silk Route

The response curves of some of the developing nations in Asia have been far superior to those of a few developed nations as well. - Siddharth Mehta, Bay Capital

The way in which entrepreneurial skills are blooming in the country, we'll have to go forward with a lot of hope and expectations. - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

In the economic domain, through their strength, 130 crore Indians can not only surprise the world but also inspire it. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi

The idea is to help every migrant who helped us build our roads, our offices, and our homes. They can’t be homeless. We have to make sure that everyone reaches their home safely. - Sonu Sood

Companies must highlight and reinforce long-term business fundamentals. This will support a gradual recovery and deliver long-term value. - Sonam Chandwani, KS Legal & Associates

Every overnight success is a five to 10-year-old story, and takes the blood and sweat of hundreds of team members. - Ritesh Agarwal, OYO Rooms

We have to live in this new normal and adapt as best as we can. - Aditi Balbir, V Resorts

During these unprecedented times, businesses must come together, be agile and innovate for the hour. - Ranjith Boyanapalli, Flipkart

How might we design for social connectedness in an increasingly contactless world? - Srishti Gupta, MakeMyTrip

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Cobots are a niche technology that not only will accelerate recovery for industries but also help protect them from any potential future disruptions. - Pradeep David, Universal Robots

Even with a secure network, companies will have to put additional safeguards in place to protect their data when it’s being accessed by multiple workers from multiple locations. - Madhurima Agarwal, NetApp

In the COVID-19 threat landscape, a lot of the attacks have shifted to the end-point. - Vishak Raman, Cisco

The future of mobility is electric. - Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola Electric

The need for personal mobility solutions has become more important than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 emergency. - Greg Moran, Zoomcar

Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturers are somewhat optimistic of a robust recovery in the second half of this year due to the surge in demand for personal vehicles. - Sohinder Gill, Hero Electric

Many two-wheeler manufacturers, especially ​ ​e-scooters, are expecting a rise in demand of their scooters for commuting in the coming days. - Irfan Khan, eBikeGo

New mobility models can spearhead innovation by adapting their operations to the new normal and leveraging their data and technology edge to provide sustainable and safe transport options. - Prateek Diwan, WRI

Safety and affordability will be the cornerstones of people’s choice when it comes to their daily commute, in that order. - Anand Ayyadurai, Vogo

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Adoption of technologies that enable real-time marketing communications can be a boon for brands looking at building stronger relationships. - Deepak Goyal, Karix

AR can lead contactless and virtual try-on at stores to minimise touching of inventory before consumers make their final decisions. - Meghna Saraogi, StyleDotMe

By leveraging chatbots on website and mobile applications, SMBs can enable prompt customer support and assist a customer’s digital journey at every step. - Noopur Chaturvedi, PayU India

Marketers need to accelerate the pivot towards digital, not just because that’s where the audience is, but because digital campaigns offer great value at a time when resources are stretched thin. - Rikki Aggarwal, Blink Digital

The shopper, today, is more health-conscious and informed. People are concerned about physical wellbeing and know the importance of good sleep. - Kabir Siddiq, SleepyCat

Let your brand be a trusted source for information. Try to give them as much information as possible, to help navigate through difficult times. - Shivjeet Ghatge, StepSetGo

The relevance and need for digital selling has been further emphasised due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital selling is the new normal today. - Anurag Avula, Shopmatic

It takes lots of effort to create digital value chains that are process-driven and financially viable. - Pooja Sharma, White Sepals

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Government hospital workers also need to be protected and people need to know the story about these field workers. - Shivang Tayal, Tayal Foundation

Because of the COVID outbreak, patients are unable to meet their doctors in person as it is not advisable to visit hospitals if one is not a corona-affected case. - Ruchir Mehra, Remedo

With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, many women will have limited access to menstrual hygiene products and services. - Kaustubh Sonalkar, Essar Foundation

The amount of water that is used to make khadi is just about three litres, while cotton and other fabrics take up almost 55 litres. - Arushi Nishank, Sparsh Ganga Foundation

Videoconferencing has seen rapid implementation in hearings. The establishment of e-courts is increasing and e-filing has also become more accessible for the attorneys. - Anupam Agarwal, Ramniwas Surajmal Advocates & Solicitors

There is a heightened engagement of audiences due to the coronavirus lockdown. - Pradeep Dwivedi, Eros International Media

The realty players, who will be ready to integrate the traditional consumer sentiment in coherence with the advanced standards of technology, will fare very well. - Sanjeev Arora, 360 Realtors

Every Indian household, on an average, lets two to three people come to their homes in a day. It is difficult for one security manager to check who is allowed and who isn’t. - Vijay Arisetty, MyGate

Historically, businesses in India have been reactionary rather than precautionary when it comes to procuring insurance. - Anuj Shah, Khaitan and Co.

Global workforces have been forced to adapt to the new reality of remote work overnight. - Ayush Jaiswal, Pesto Tech

The pandemic has pushed the academic calendar back by a few months, and hence the activities planned around it. - Ankit Aggarwal, FLIVE Consulting

With more than 4,000 startups in the edtech space, India is uniquely placed to lead the way in how students across regions and geographies learn. - Harjiv Singh, BrainGain Global

This is a generation that has grown up in a truly globalised world. The effect of this global pandemic is likely to reflect in their education. - Narendra Shyamsukha, ICA Edu Skills

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Once you get the hang of it, Mandala is a really simple and beautiful technique-based art form. - Mayank Aggarwal

Music, dance, and theatre have the power to transcend borders and become a beacon of hope, especially in testing times like these. - Vandana Munjal, TFAC

At a time like the present when we are in the middle of a lockdown and we all feel so helpless and not in control, baking can be a very meditative skill to pick up. - Aditi Handa, Baker’s Dozen

DIY crafts help build concentration, hand-eye coordination, and attention to detail. - Sousthav Chakrabarty, Capital Quotient

Fitness isn’t a luxury, it is a necessity and needs to be made a part of our lives. - Jitendra Chouksey, Fittr

Everyone's dream is important. Everyone's dream needs to be heard. - Zaid Fredericks, Constellation

Reflection of the basic values such as empathy, sensitivity, relevance, relatability, amongst others, is a must. - Amit Tripathi, IdeateLabs

The scope of risk governance and risk mitigation is expected to be broadened. Risk managers will now be a key asset across all organisations. - Prasad Rajappan, ZingHR

Most people are afraid to fail. Mistakes are lovely because you learn from them. - Danish Sait

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).