Blog

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 onset of COVID-19 brought the issue of ‘migrant workers’ into sharp focus, highlighting the need for a new paradigm of livelihood opportunities in our rural areas. Pearl Tiwari, Ambuja Cement Foundation

The reopening of markets over the last three months has had a positive impact on business growth across India Inc. – Apna report

The pandemic has brought focus on opportunities for youth like turning frontline workers — paramedics, nursing, and ASHA workers for the healthcare sector, starting businesses for sales, good and home-based services, or even ecommerce. – Pearl Tiwari, Ambuja Cement Foundation

The pandemic was also a tough period for us as the perfume category was the one that people sought when shopping for essentials. – Aditya Vikram Daga, Purpos Planet

Travel bans and lockdowns cemented our belief that there is a real need for [mother and baby] products in the market. – Tejal Bajla, All Things Baby

The pandemic also forced us to streamline a lot of administrative operations as we had to work within restrictions, and we became more efficient at managing operations remotely. – Kavya Krishnamurthy, Veekes & Company

People have realised the importance of health post COVID-19; so producing health products is definitely on the cards. – Harak Soni, Navalprabha Foods

This switch to remote working and optimising and streamlining is perhaps the only good thing to have come out of the pandemic. – Kavya Krishnamurthy, Veekes & Company

The pandemic has however brought [gender discrimination] to the forefront of our awareness in a way that you cannot ignore anymore. – Debasmita Sinha, Manah Wellness

Now, two years later, most organisations have acquiesced that the shift from office to remote is irreversible. – Yogita Tulsiani, iXceed Solutions

Hybrid working has become a forced norm, however, the pressure to be visible always and prove one’s dedication to working has taken a toll, especially on women. – Debasmita Sinha, Manah Wellness

The pandemic further propelled SMBs to explore new online models to thrive in their day-to-day business. However, it also exposed vulnerabilities in the industry and disrupted the entire retail supply chain. – Koteshwar LN, Flipkart

The COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide lockdowns, and the limitation imposed by Section 3(k) of the Indian Patents Act (which prohibits patenting algorithms and computer programs), have impacted patent-filing in Big Data analytics. – Anant Kataria, Sagacious

While the education industry was the strongest beneficiaries during the pandemic, the threat of growth stalemate has forced many to hold back on hiring. – Prashant Janadri, Taskmo

The behavioural shift during the pandemic is teachers’ adoption of technology. – Pradeep Pillai, OrangeSlates

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).