The pandemic, with its devastating impact on our everyday lives, forced us to see the dearth of essential commodities. Still, as an outcome, we saw the power of community building, which provided new opportunities for collective growth and unity. The pandemic became a catalyst for the creation of a unique moment of governments across the globe working closely with each other to share resources and provide humanitarian aid. Many international agencies like the WHO and Red Cross, with a network of 70,000 volunteers, readily assisted those in need. This made sure help reached even the most vulnerable populations. What we saw was not less than a miracle, as leadership at various levels—government, corporate, and grassroots—stepped forward to form voluntary groups that were the first ones to provide relief to the most affected community.
What we saw here in India was a pure spirit of community unity. Every Indian came together to help each other and joined hands to fight this unprecedented crisis. Yes, the pandemic storm had once made us feel that we would not survive this. But with, for example, Gurudwaras opening their doors to serve food and provide oxygen to those in need and countless individuals regardless of their caste and religion, this moment in history exemplified the power of unity in adversity. In another significant initiative, the Delhi government sent money for midday meals to parents’ accounts and gave dry rations for six months to ensure proper nutrition for the children.
Another instance of community building was seen when the pandemic disrupted the traditional education systems, as all the educational institutions were forced to discontinue their traditional classes. However, this challenge led to educators adapting to online platforms and exploring new teaching methodologies and assessment techniques. We saw how governments too followed this, with the “Digital Muthi” project as a notable example in Maharashtra, where teachers recorded lessons and distributed them via WhatsApp.
Looking at the healthcare sector in India, we saw a shortage of trained healthcare professionals with a limited supply of medical equipment, medications, and vaccines. However, swift advancements made in technology in light of the pandemic helped overcome the many challenges. For instance, the Aarogya Setu application helped track the virus, and the CoWin application became our one-stop vaccination scheduling platform. Moreover, our country oversaw the production of vaccines and PPE kits in record-breaking time, making India one of the first countries to start the vaccination drive and become one of the biggest exporters of PPE kits in the world. Thanks to these developments and the efforts of our hardworking, resilient frontline warriors, we became the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ of the world as we stood with those struggling in such times of crisis.
Author: Sidharth Jain
About the Author: Student of IPM 04
