Five years of Covid: Struggles, adaptations and hope for small businesses

From closures to online pivots, how small enterprises weathered the pandemic storm

Chand, 39, and his friend Ajay are among the thousands of labourers gathered at Manesar’s Labour Chowk, hoping to secure a day’s work. Despite the adversity they face, the two friends share a hearty laugh about their situation. Hailing from Dhorra Mafi (Uttar Pradesh), considered to be the most literate village in Asia, their journey to New Delhi was not one they had anticipated.

 

"We used to run a small business dyeing jeans," Chand says. "The first wave of the pandemic and the lockdown shut us down.” They tried borrowing money to restart the business, “but with everything so uncertain,