Food for Thought !

Let me clarify - This blog is not about food!

Analysts are predicting, quite confidently, a huge downfall of the economy because of Corona. Various expert estimates predict that the global infections from this pandemic can peak to ten million with an average mortality rate of around 3% or more

Housing meltdowns, unprecedented unemployment numbers, extremely volatile stock markets, shuttered businesses – the outlook is not seemingly comfortable. The worst is still unfolding in many parts of the world !

Grim. Brutal. Gruesome. Unprecedented. Uncertain. At least these are the words we keep hearing. And we are made to believe that the recovery will be in the distant future.

I do not know much about these experts. But, in our lifetime, we have seen the power of human motivation and decisive action, for sure (Forget the controversy on who said it – but these examples are relevant as seen in a recent WhatsApp forward!)

If experts were to be believed, after the total destruction in 2nd World War, Japan had NO future. BUT the same nation, in just three decades or so, made the whole world, clamour for its products and has one of the highest GDPs today.

If the experts were to be believed, our golden girl Arunima Sinha, can hardly lead a normal life with artificial limbs, but she climbed the Mount Everest - that is 8848 metres above sea level.

As per the rules of Aerodynamics, the Bumble Bee cannot fly. But it flies, because it does not know the rules of Aerodynamics.

Most importantly, if some learned Health Experts were to be believed, we should have seen a million infections in India by now. Thanks to all of us and our discipline, we are still to touch the five figure mark and it has been more than six weeks now. And we have the lowest infection-rate-per-million citizens !

This Virus and its possible impact is truly intimidating. We can’t declare success anytime soon. But, I am (like several friends and peers) a die hard optimist.

Look at what the few weeks of lockdown has taught me / us ::

• Businesses have become truly customer centric – excel sheets have replaced expensive tabs for order-taking; items get delivered at home & word of mouth has replaced expensive marketing mediums. Local Cloud Kitchens ? We will soon have Cloud Kiranas and Meat Shops !!
• ‘Whiteboarding’ has given way to ‘Sound-boarding’ – ideations happen with greater output, virtually every day – who would have imagined ?!!
• For me, the Corner Office has given way to the Corner Table, in the bedroom – but our team’s productivity has increased 120%. And some, still have time to spare !
• We have learned to optimize – be it material (the utensils we use in the kitchen) or time (e.g. cleaning the house while taking a critical business decision on a call) or space (every corner in the house has become the office – depending on where the children are screaming at the moment)
• We have learned to be more inclusive and patient on a video call – be it a kid's noise or a pet’s interruption. Before the lock down, interruptions were frowned upon!!
• We have re-discovered our passions and hobbies - Power cuts or internet downtimes are actually welcome breaks!
• Service orientation - helping the under-privileged - sharing whatever we have, has emerged as high themes of today

 And on a lighter note ..

• The futility of expensive branded clothing – after three weeks, I realized that the home-wear in my wardrobe is grossly inadequate and needs greater attention.
• The ability to live with the bare essentials – I have never used Maggi packets with such respect and discretion
• The comfort of leveraging leftovers for another day – ours is a household that doesn’t like to see the same dish for a second time, within one month !

The Human Spirit for Survival and the Humane Spirit of the Healthcare Professionals will defeat this virus, hands down. Someday soon.

But what this Virus would have helped us achieve is monumental – it will help us eliminate our numerous ‘wants’ and better understand our true ‘needs’. And for this learning, we have to be grateful

Equally importantly, it will bring out the spirit of jugaad in each one of us, a greater collaborative spirit within teams and the willingness to take the brunt, smilingly.

Stay health, stay safe and most importantly, stay positive - humanity will rise again!