Pertinent Questions post Covid19?

Some pertinent questions....thoughts provoked by Corona...

A seven-year bull run in commercial office space seems to be over. Covid-19 has delayed projects, softened rentals and sapped demand, with experts predicting a 17-34% drop in net absorption this year. is the real estate era of office space is over?

India’s $50 billion wedding industry – often touted as “recession-proof” – has been pummelled by the Covid-19 pandemic. Is this the end of road for grand weddings, at least in the near future?

Indian students are rethinking their foreign education plans due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Nearly 100,000 students head overseas every year, but experts forecast 40-60% to scrap their plans this time. Will the Govt college education will be in vogue again?

The lockdown is compelling people to experiment with self-grooming. E-tailers such as Flipkart, Snapdeal and Paytm Mall say epilators, razors, trimmers and hair colour are flying off the shelves and demand has soared by 8-12 times !!!!

India’s weekly unemployment rate hit an all-time high of 27.1% from 21.1%, multiple media reports say, citing data from CMIE for April 27-May 3. For the whole of April, the jobless rate stood at 23.5%, according to the economic think tank. Will it grow even more?

Staffing firm Xpheno said more than 200 director-level and above posts were available last week across job portals. Goldman Sachs, Vedanta and Capgemini said they were looking for technology and digital leaders, besides core domain specialists. Will the future job description change ?

States are hiking taxes on liquor to boost revenue and discourage consumption amid the pandemic. Delhi has levied a 70% ‘special corona fee’, Andhra Pradesh has increased alcohol prices by 75%, while Karnataka has hiked the excise duty on liquor by 6%. Still the queues becoming bigger and bigger. Will booze becomes the economy saviour?

Temasek-backed Curefit – which operates gyms in over 130 locations in India – said it was ramping up its digital fitness offerings and food and essentials delivery. Will gyms and fitness centres ever be able to recover from the Covid-19 shock?

The government’s decision to make its coronavirus contact-tracing app, Aarogya Setu, mandatory for employees has kicked off a debate. Digital rights activists claim this violates privacy rights, while the government says that information is used only to map the places visited by Covid-19 patients. Who is right? Is Govt taking people’s privacy for ride?

LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index is a biweekly snapshot covering 2,254 members across India, asking how they feel about getting or holding on to a job, improving their financial situation in the next six months and their ability to progress in their careers in the next year. Enterprise employees and the self-employed have the lowest professional confidence right now, as measured across job security, finances and career outlook.Will the confidence be back?

India’s leather industry is staring at the cancellation of exports worth $1 billion due to the pandemic. Buyers from Europe and the US have scrapped orders and delayed payments for shipments received. Is this end of leather industry?

Your car buying experience will change radically in the post-Covid-19 world. Entry into showrooms will be by appointment only, and most companies are scrapping test drives in favour of digital demos. Is it a realistic development?

Business is no doubt suffering because of the pandemic, but employee productivity seems to have gone up, a Deloitte India survey of CXOs of 42 firms finds. Is it true to believe?

Coronavirus could well shrink the apparel industry to size zero, with offline sales gone and online sales curtailed because of the lockdown. To survive, fashion companies are making face masks and selling personal care essentials. Companies like Myntra, Peter England and Lifestyle are pushing WFH dressing — formal tops paired with casual bottoms. Is it the new trend?

Around 30% of IITians graduating this year remain unplaced. What would be the new ways of employment?

The central government has deferred a hike in dearness allowance for its 4.8 million employees and 6.5 million pensioners till July 2021, citing pressure on its finances. Will Govt salaries see a reduction like private sector?

The Union home ministry has allowed migrant labourers, tourists, students and pilgrims to return to their home state if they do not have coronavirus. What do you think of this move? Will they come back? How industry will respond?

Work from Home in lockdown

Amalgamation  of Private and Professional Life courtesy Lock-Down....isn’t it very beautiful? No hurry in morning to finish the breakfast and start the car engine , enough time to read the newspaper ... tea with wife, lunch with children.... meetings without exaggerated emotions...meeting space is owned without any worry of someone knocking and telling that the room is booked....switch off and prepare your documents without any interruptions...have a virtual coffee with your colleague without worrying that it’s cab time... no thought for traffic, clear blue sky without any noise in air....in between stepping to other room for solving your kid’s maths problems ... sneaking to the kitchen and smell the new flavour of the day ... in fact no urge to make a visit to restaurants, in stead having a few extra minutes of shuttle cork with daughter which was a luxury ....water the plants and watch the new leaves coming out and growing everyday ...wait for what is new on prime for the weekend...switchon old cricket matches to see Richards and Holding once again...call your friends and relatives comfortably knowing they won’t be in hurry and easily can take your call .... so much positives lockdown has given and a new meaning to life.
Just one worry is how the May Day can be celebrated again  as well.... factories and construction sites still need to run ... is there a digital answer for that?

Trump as president- question asked?

World’s most powerful nation is on its knees..6.5 L infection 29 thousand deaths and still counting...Nation which choose a bully to lead them is in tatters due to one person .... spread of corona was inevitable in the country,which has so many foreign visitors coming everyday but any chance of minimising was killed by Donald “duck” trump. A typical leader who loves to listen to his own voice, doesn’t have manners even while asking for favours and consider himself the most learned and expert on everything. Wonder how this superpower nation decided to choose him in first place.
First, he himself denied it as pandemic and now stopping the funding to WHO blaming for everything. We thought America has democracy then it should be ruled by constitution not on the whims of an stupid individual. He just thought anti malarial drug is the cure .. not sure from where he had his MBBS degree😇. When the best expert of his country is refuting it because of anecdotal evidences, he still didn’t listen and threatened India ( self proclaimed expert and bully combined leadership ) ... For that matter, India already had agreed to supply before his rhetoric.Guess,he knew that it is going to happen anyhow, so why not show himself as imposing leader 🤨. He doesn’t want to admit his failure and wants to show that he is doing something. He speaks about Kim Jong , but how different himself is!! Is it the country of George Washington , Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy , Clinton, Obama? Is it the style of leadership anyone would like to be lead?

The world will change

There is lot of grumbling with China as main reason for the today’s scenario. Was it? wasn’t ? Still unknown. But suspect will loom large in post Corona world. West or East , the world will become a lot different in the way, it deals with China or the way it’s basic economic and political philosophy has been drafted.The pain of loosing people is much more than the past world wars. The no of affected people and death is swelling everyday.The economic impact is expected to be far bigger than the Great Depression. Job losses will be in millions. Hardly a country is left which is unscathed. The rupture has destabilised the equilibrium which was shifting in one direction.Some bigger countries like India is still struggling to shrug it off but would be difficult for her like any other nation. The prolonged fear creates a lot more hatred than the sudden death in natural calamities.The trade relations will not be same.West needs to find a better and trustful manufacturing place, which could be Far East...Africa...Latam ... or even India.The trust has gone. In fact , there is a chance that globalisation will take reverse gear. The world might want to live more virtually than physically and interconnection of supply chain would either cease or will have different dimension altogether. The protection of citizens will take center stage than the growth aspirations. The free movement and tourism which is real root cause why this epidemic become pandemic might lead to fragmentation of blocks and more tighter norms on movements.Liberals will be perhaps seeing the end and rightist would be bubbling.The countries who can survive with internal consumption may start thinking indigenisation more vigorously . The countries who thought,I can survive without farming by importing items may start thinking otherwise. The balance of economy would require an imminent design while minimising the over dependence on one country or geography.The economies and societies would be build which are more durable, and more humanly habitable, than those that were dependent to the skewness of the global market. The health care which is largely neglected in third world and overly priced in developed countries will shift gears and engine would be overhauled. The world cannot survive without enough hospital beds, having their own testing kits and ventilators, enough raw materials to produce the drugs. this cannot remain out of the reach of common man. The tough times has thought how one can survive just by meeting the basic needs and majority of the work can be done without fancy offices, education can be imparted remotely. The family values which had broken might come back and business models will thrive which could support this enable closer physical socialisation. It would not be surprising. If the world move away from eating meat to a certain degree if not completely, become more vegan and start enjoying agriculture again. I am not an astrologer but not shortsighted person either ... let’s see next 1-2 years. Meanwhile, praying to God ... please stop this.....the lesson has been learned now.

COVID19

It was 1947, when millions moved from one geography to another , the same is happening now - the difference is they were fighting among themselves but now they are fighting the fear of invisible enemy and hunger both. On both the occasions, they felt that by being closer to their own place and people, they can face the challenge with far more determination and ease. Another common thing is that on both the occasions, the greed of politics and power has taken over the human needs.
The plight is painful, looking at the crowd, their ignorance and apathy of those who matter the most is disdainful.
If we are single nation why not those coming from other states are welcomed in same manner!!! Cann’t we provide shelter and food for few days to those who have been building homes, roads, producing food grains and running factory at a meager income? Can't politician meet them and convince them to stay back and offer the administration for their well-being, food and safety. I request the dear politicians to come out of vote bank and winnability . If your constituency would not survive, how would you?
Though, it sound difficult but planning and executing proper food, shelter and medical facilities are not impossible.

Also, We have become callous, we think just “me” and at the most our next family. We hardly care for surrounding , nature, animals. The profitability and mindless growth has become much more important than human happiness. This is leading to high degree of imbalance. Whenever this imbalance becomes high, God descends to bring semblance. However, the process is always painful. God doesn’t differentiate between the rich and poor, mightiest and the weakest , have and the have nots.... No, the best of the species are not the only one who just survive .. Even the Darwin theory fails. The biggest and mightiest countries have failed.
The fear has gripped one and all but still we are thinking, it’s me only who will not be affected. Still, living in dream, imagining that I would survive and others will have to face it. Ones the time is over, I would restart destroying the nature and animals. Already, they are missing the the food and parties by just being at home for 5 days.Unfortunately, it may not be true.
The world is so well connected now, that , it’s ridiculous to think like this. Hello, the selfish generation even for the sake of selfishness , think twice. Anyone and every one will suffer if the symbiotic relations are not maintained. British PM, Prince and Health Minister- all of them have to be quarantined . The princess of Spain could not survive , then who can be left. If you are not caught now, it’s just a matter of time and luck, if all together are not fighting for it. Chances are that Sooner or later you could be the next one.
As PM said increase the physical distance but decrease the emotional distance . Think beyond self .... it’s not just the duty of health workers but everyone.
#stayhomestaysafe #indiafightscorona