Amid the fear, worry, and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, each day seems to bring news that’s worse than the day before. The cause for concern is justified. But, as in most major disasters, tragedies, and public health threats, there are reasons for hope, and even optimism. They may be hard to see, even if you’re a “cup-half-full” or “it could always be worse” type of person.
But they are there. Here are a few. The good news about the coronavirus pandemic
Most people with COVID-19 recover. Estimates now suggest that 99% of people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 will recover. Some people have no symptoms at all. And while thousands of people have died, the overall death rate is about 1% (or perhaps even lower), far less than MERS (about 34%), SARS (about 11%), or Ebola (90%), though higher than the average seasonal flu (0.1%). The loss of life related to this illness is terrible and far more cases are expected, but based on the fatality rates alone, it could be far worse
The number of new cases is falling where the outbreak began: During his speech declaring the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, the director-general of the WHO pointed out that “China and the Republic of Korea have significantly declining epidemics.” In fact, Wuhan province (site of the very first cases) has just reported no new local cases for the first time since the outbreak began. The only new cases were “imported” from travellers arriving there.
The internet exists: We currently have ways to practice social distancing that preserve at least some social and medical connections. People in isolation or quarantine can ask for help, visit friends, “see” family and doctors virtually, and provide updates on their condition.
Balance is the need of hour!
The present crisis should be taken as a reminder by humanity that it is not invincible. We must collectively come out with alternate way of living. Leaders across the globe must ponder and come out with a sustainable framework of development. Striking a right balance between development and environment be ignored further.
We must draw learning from Vedic literature which had the realisation that the pure water, air etc. are the roots of to good health and happiness and hence they considered all these as gods. The Vedic people desired to live a long life this wish can be fulfilled only when environment will be unpolluted, clean and peaceful.
The sages recited the following verse for centuries which is give an appropriate message of balance between various elements of almight’s creation
“Let there be balance in the space ! Let there be balance in the sky ! Let there be peace on the earth ! Let there be calmness Let there be ! Let there be growth in the plants ! Let there be growth in the tree ! Let there be grace in the Gods ! Let there be bliss in the Brahman ! Let there be balance in everything ! Let there be peace and peace ! Let such peace be with everyone of us !”
“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” – Chief Seattle
The panic caused by coronavirus outbreak has unleashed mayhem in our daily lives and we see disruption in every sphere of our existence. A news report stated in the morning today, that more than 1 billion are locked-out in their home, as countries across the globe continue to struggle to contain the virus. The lock-out perhaps seems only way to defend ourselves.
I’m a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether that is what we perceive as being good or being bad. The present crisis reinforces my belief. To me this is a reminder from Earth that it is sick and needs urgent remedy. Driven by incessant greed and materialistic pleasures, human beings have exploited nature which is evident from the statistics below:
According to the estimates of World Bank, globally forest cover has declined from around 32% of total area in 1980 to 30% in 2015
According to a study, 80 per cent of global wastewater goes untreated, containing everything from human waste to highly toxic industrial discharges.
According to the latest air quality database, 97% of cities in low- and middle- income countries with more than 100,000 inhabitants do not meet WHO air quality guidelines.
There have been massive fires in Amazon, Australia and California, frequent floods, melting of glaciers etc which show nature’s fury which we have conveniently ignored. We must all take this as mild response from nature of its power. The fact that even a ‘microscopic organism’ can bring the omnipotent ‘human beings’ (as we falsely believe us to be) to their knees bears the testimony to this.
Shouldn’t we re-evaluate our development model?
This bring me to another important point which is around economic development adopted in last century. The large-scale industrialisation driven by fossil fuels has continued to deplete the environment – situation today has reached to an extent that it is threatening human existence.
For arresting global warming, countries collectively decided to bring down their emissions and a target was agreed by everyone. However, going by current rate, IPCC (United Nations Inter-Governmental Report on Climate change) predicts that countries are unlikely to achieve the target emission reductions.
Another aspect of growth model is that businesses are more guided by improvement in bottom line than impact it will have on society and natures. It inherently justifies greed and exploitation of resources whether it is human beings or nature. The self-destructive path has led us to situation where are we do. The coronavirus is just a warning to amend ourselves.
Find reasons to Smile and spread positivity– ‘Live in harmony with nature’
It is now evident only way to contain the lethal coronavirus is to practice social distancing and cleaning hands on regular basis as is being advised Governments / Health agencies. As the lock-down continues and people being confined to their home, many are getting a feeling of frustration, gloom and helplessness. While these are difficult time, one must have larger picture in mind. Social distancing does not mean that suspension of communication. The other means of communication are still working and must be utilised to the fullest. In fact, mutual concern and support will only make the world move closer.
These are certainly challenging times, but we must remember – ‘Tough times never last, tough people do’ . The crisis serves as a reminder that human race has survived many catastrophes spanning over hundreds and thousands of years which it has endured successfully. India has never witnessed lock-down of this scale in its modern history. The train movement was never stopped including times of war. The circumstances are helping us with experiences which are unique. Rather than getting frustrated and bogged down, we can view this as opportunity for experiential learning.
The pandemic also permits us to take a step-back and deliberate on our lifestyle and, needs. We must utilise this time to find sustainable ways of living which are in harmony with nature.
Need for looking into our roots for sustainable living
I’ve always felt the need to nurture and care the environment – the foundation of my firm ‘Avaada’ was laid with this basic premise. Sustainability is core to Avaada’s existence. In our fast pace lives and incessant material desire, many of us have forgotten to live in harmony with nature – as our ancient culture taught us to Sustainable living has always been integral part of Indian living.
The sloka aptly points to a fundamental fact that living being comprise of air, fire, earth, water and plants which are 5 basic elements and are also known as panchbhutas. They collectively constitute environment. Environment is fundamental to human existence and plays a very significant role in human civilization. Human beings have close relations with the biosphere in which they live. The whole environment and ecology consisting of earth, air, water and plants provide conditions for sustaining human life.
The, present crisis gives all of us opportunity to reflect, ponder and decide on changes in our behaviour and actions. Please take care of parents, serve the needy, act as responsible citizens and take actions which help in improvement of environment around us.
Mr. Prashant Choubey, a seasoned professional with almost three decades of experience, leads Human Resources and Business Development as a President at Avaada Group.
He brings a wealth of diverse experience in managing national & international business development, especially in the South and South East Asia region in the spectrum of solar, renewables, and hydro. Mr. Choubey’s other key competencies include policy advocacy, strategic HR planning, talent management, setting up & managing HR systems, policies & processes, Bid Management, Corporate PPAs, etc.
He played a significant role in taking the organization to the leader’s spot in offering sustainable renewable energy solutions to leading national and international corporates in India. Under his guidance, Avaada Group was ranked among the top 50 best companies to work for by The Times of India- Ascent. It was also ranked among the Top 10 solar companies in India by Solar Quarter magazine.
As a prolific speaker, Mr. Choubey has been prominent at numerous national and international events. He has also been instrumental in presenting papers on Renewable and Solar Energy at international conferences and forums in Austria and Turkey.
Prior to joining Avaada Group, he was associated with National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and Reliance Infrastructure Limited.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions, he was honoured with the Young Engineer Award in 2001 by the Central Board of Irrigation and Power, India. An engineering graduate from the Delhi College of Engineering, Mr. Choubey is a force to be reckoned with in the renewable energy industry.
Vinoo George
President
Mr. Vinoo George, a seasoned professional with over four decades of experience, heads the Manufacturing vertical as President at Avaada Group. His industry experience spans Manufacturing, Project Management, Sourcing, and International Business Development. He has been instrumental in the organization’s growth journey.
Mr. George is an unparalleled expert in building pipelines and developing large-scale projects and has been instrumental in building strong relationships with vendors and suppliers, ensuring access to the best materials and technologies available. He oversees all aspects of the manufacturing operation, including vendor selection, technology selection, manufacturing setup, product quality, supply chain, and material procurement. He has set high standards for sourcing and supply chain management, ensuring the timely commissioning of solar and wind projects.
Prior to joining Avaada Group, he was associated with BHEL and Reliance Infrastructure. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from Madras University.
Vineet Mittal is a serial entrepreneur who has built multiple large-scale businesses. After creating successful unicorns in the BPO and IT space, he floated Welspun Energy in 2010, becoming India’s largest renewable energy company with an installed base of 1.2 GW. In 2016, the platform was monetized successfully with the sale to Tata Power at a US $ 1.4 bn valuations. The Thermal power business of the group was also sold successfully to Adani Group.
He strongly believes that energy is inversely proportional to poverty. With increased energy access, India can overcome its poverty problems and provide its citizens with a better quality of life. Driven by his passion for sustainability and clean energy transition, in 2017, he floated the second platform and named it ‘Avaada’. Avaada means the Promise of a sustainable future and comes from two words, ‘Ayurveda’ and ‘Vaada’, which means the science of life and Promise, respectively.
Mr Mittal is a strong proponent of advancing sustainability through robust business models. He has been actively advocating the concepts of Community Development Certificates (CDC) and Grow Forest Certificate (GFC) with the governments he developed. Both the instruments target creating a marketplace for achieving sustainability objectives of increasing forest cover, developing social infrastructure in terms of healthcare access, education, and so on through a strong incentive mechanism.
Mr Mittal is a regular speaker on clean energy transition at important national and international events. A leading and influential industry voice, he is a regular invitee in all policy consultations by bodies like Niti Aayog, Ministries and Govt. departments, etc.
An alumnus of Harvard Business School, Mr Mittal currently holds the position of Chairman of the CII sub-committee on Hydrogen usage and standards, Chair of the CII National Council on climate change and Chair of the ‘Make in India’ Task Force. In 2012 and 2014, Vineet was conferred with the “Solar Man of the Year” title. He is an active member speaker at World Economic Forum. He is on B20’s task force for financing growth and infrastructure and Energy, Resource Efficiency & Sustainability. He is also the former India Chair of the World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD) ‘s Renewables Low Carbon Technology platform program.
Vineet Mittal
Vineet Mittal is a serial entrepreneur who has built multiple large-scale businesses. After creating successful unicorns in the BPO and IT space, he floated Welspun Energy in 2010, becoming India’s largest renewable energy company with an installed base of 1.2 GW. In 2016, the platform was monetized successfully with the sale to Tata Power at a US $ 1.4 bn valuations. The Thermal power business of the group was also sold successfully to Adani Group.
He strongly believes that energy is inversely proportional to poverty. With increased energy access, India can overcome its poverty problems and provide its citizens with a better quality of life. Driven by his passion for sustainability and clean energy transition, in 2017, he floated the second platform and named it ‘Avaada’. Avaada means the Promise of a sustainable future and comes from two words, ‘Ayurveda’ and ‘Vaada’, which means the science of life and Promise, respectively.
Mr Mittal is a strong proponent of advancing sustainability through robust business models. He has been actively advocating the concepts of Community Development Certificates (CDC) and Grow Forest Certificate (GFC) with the governments he developed. Both the instruments target creating a marketplace for achieving sustainability objectives of increasing forest cover, developing social infrastructure in terms of healthcare access, education, and so on through a strong incentive mechanism.
Mr Mittal is a regular speaker on clean energy transition at important national and international events. A leading and influential industry voice, he is a regular invitee in all policy consultations by bodies like Niti Aayog, Ministries and Govt. departments, etc.
An alumnus of Harvard Business School, Mr Mittal currently holds the position of Chairman of the CII sub-committee on Hydrogen usage and standards, Chair of the CII National Council on climate change and Chair of the ‘Make in India’ Task Force. In 2012 and 2014, Vineet was conferred with the “Solar Man of the Year” title. He is an active member speaker at World Economic Forum. He is on B20’s task force for financing growth and infrastructure and Energy, Resource Efficiency & Sustainability. He is also the former India Chair of the World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD) ‘s Renewables Low Carbon Technology platform program.
