Covid-19: We need a shift to sustainability, says Kiran Majumdar-Shaw

The pandemic has thrown us into the deep end in terms of using technology, and that is a positive development, says Shaw

The new work life

I don’t have to take on the infamous Bengaluru traffic as I attend most of my public engagements virtually. What has not changed is my hectic work routine. I have been going to the office daily since the lockdown was lifted and I attend several official meetings, public engagements, talks, webinars, all virtually. I still keep getting invited to inaugurations and foundation laying ceremonies. I try to sensitise the organisers by telling them that it is unsafe to get people to congregate at one place, and that they should conduct the event online.

Homebound, and how

As a scientist-entrepreneur, I have been communicating more intensely and highlighting the need to leverage science to take on this pandemic. From tweeting about the latest scientific breakthroughs on the Covid-19 front to interacting with other scientists and researchers in India and across the world, it has been a very busy time indeed.

The pandemic has thrown us into the deep end in terms of using technology, and that is a positive development. I feel I have become more tech-savvy in the past few months.

The lesson

It has made me realise that humankind has been on a path of unsustainable consumption, growth and ecological degradation. In the “new normal” post-Covid, India will have to focus on a low-carbon economic growth strategy based on renewable energy, reduction of waste, effluents, emissions and consumerism based on recycling and reuse.

We need a cultural shift towards more responsible transport and consumption patterns that involve greater use of electric vehicles, expansion of mass rapid transport systems and making our cities pedestrian-friendly.

We need a rapid transition to a circular economy that repurposes, redesigns and reuses goods prolonging their lives to the highest value and keeping them out of our oceans and landfills.

The pandemic has also reinvigorated my belief in my philosophy of “affordable access” where scientific innovation is leveraged to develop low-cost, cutting-edge therapies. It has made me realise that my whole ethos of “compassionate capitalism” is more relevant than ever before in addressing the needs of the underserved.

As told to Pavan Lall