“This is a human issue. Let’s leave everything else behind; now is the time to save lives, find a way to find solutions and use all our training, skills, and resources to support the country [of India] right now.”

– Chef Vikas Khanna, MasterChef India

The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

In this episode of The Buzz, powered by OpenText, Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton are joined by Enrique Alvarez, Dhairya Patel, Keyur Shah, and Chef Vikas Khanna to discuss the critical levels of coronavirus being experienced in India. According to the World Health Organization, one in every three cases of the coronavirus globally is being reported in India. The country has reported 19 million cases of the virus since the outset – and almost 7 million cases just in the month of April 2021 alone.

This week’s Buzz guests and hosts engage in real time with a live audience to talk about the continued human toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and how each person can help:

· The difference it can make just to help one family at a time deal with the on-the-ground reality of the contagion

· The parallel need for supplies, equipment, and empathy in the hardest hit areas, since the majority of people living in big cities are daily wage workers whose source of income has been disrupted

· The logistics challenges associated with the size of India’s population (the second most populated on the planet) and geographical scale (1.2 million square miles)

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to supply chain. Now the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues. The challenges and opportunities stay tuned to hear from those making global business happen right here on supply chain now. Hey, good morning.

Scott Luton (00:31):

Good afternoon, everybody. Scott Luton, Greg White, and Enrique Alvarez here with you on supply chain now. Welcome to today’s live stream, Greg Enrique. How are we doing gentlemen? Uh, great. Uh, yeah, it’s uh, it was a great weekend. We’re getting a little rain here in Atlanta, but all things considered, especially our topic today. I think we’re all doing great. Yeah, no kidding. Uh, Enrique, how are you doing? And things are going great. Yes. And that’s Greg set. I mean, considering everything else that’s happening in other parts of the world, I can’t complain. We had like a tornado warning and tornado that kind of came close to Atlantic station here in Atlanta. Really? Wow. Heavy rain, but that’s uh, that’s all it was so we’re, we’re good. That’s good. Good. Good to hear by a vector in a white household are safe and sound. We’re getting some remnants of that storm out here, um, in Walton County.

Scott Luton (01:22):

So if I disappear today, you know that the internet is down, uh, but nevertheless folks, um, we’ve got, uh, Amanda really got a kick out of that. Greg, we’ve got a, um, uh, far more serious topic or being talking about today here on the supply chain buzz. Uh, we’re going to dive in deep, uh, with India and the tremendous challenges they’re experiencing. They’re related to the pandemic. We’ve got a, a wonderful panel of folks that will be joining us and sharing some of the things that they’re tracking, some of their observations and some of the great efforts that they are leading or supporting to get some of these critical supplies to our friends in India. So stay tuned for a great conversation. Now, uh, the Supply Chain Buzz is powered by our friends at open text. Uh, the information company. We really appreciate their support be on the lookout.

Scott Luton (02:12):

They’ve got a big event coming out in June that we’re going to be sharing more details and a sneak peek on, uh, very, very soon. So Greg, the buzz comes to our community every Monday at 12 noon Eastern time. Is that right? As far as we know Scott, it does. Yes. Yeah. It’s, uh, it’s gotten to the point that almost everyone in my household knows what’s happening at noon. Now that we’ve been doing it for over a year and you kick, you kick everybody all Fortnite and John McKnight ball. Yes. Yeah, exactly. And, uh, apparently, um, what is it, Minecraft is making a comeback. Is it, um, yeah, well, uh, I learned over the weekend, I thought Fortnite was still a foreign concept for my kids. My has been playing and he’s like, I’m like, how do you even know about it? It’s all my game dad.

Scott Luton (03:02):

So, um, I’m always the last one to the part of those. So, but nevertheless, the buzz is all about some of the leading topics across industry and we all felt as a team, we should devote, uh, today at a minimum, uh, to really better understanding what, uh, our Indian friends are experiencing a great opportunity for the community to give forward. Yeah, that’s a great point. That’s great. All right. So really quick. Let’s um, before we say hello to a few folks, I want to share a couple of program notes really quick. So today on the main channel, Greg and Enrique, we published an outstanding episode of Frank transparent episode with JD Redmond. Uh, and just as the title suggest Redmond’s rebound his resilience through some, some challenging times and the good news. And there’s always good news. If you look hard, his new venture, uh, JD really shares some Frank experiences.

Scott Luton (03:55):

He talks about how he had kind of resort to driving for Uber, even on Thanksgiving day, uh, to make ends meet and some of the things his family went through, but again, it all led him to what he’s doing now, which is his, uh, his new venture. So check that out on the main channel, uh, tomorrow. Um, we’re gonna be talking about supply chain real estate, as we relaunch our supply chain real estate series with ward Richmond, which is, uh, talk about someone Greg and irrigate. It’s got his finger on the pulse of what’s going on across the industry, industrial real estate, but also with Prologis, which is one of the biggest names out there established market leader. So tune in tomorrow at 12 noon, where I plan on learning a lot more about real estate, Greg, looking forward to the series, huh? I’ll be in the cheap seats.

Scott Luton (04:42):

Yes. So that’s a good place to be. It is. I’m going to, I can’t wait. I’m sure that you guys are going to knock it out of the park. So I’m looking for one. And then, uh, finally, uh, IBM’s going to join us on Thursday on a digital transformers, uh, episode on supply chain now livestream. And we’re going to get a sneak peak of think 21 or 2021 rather. Uh, so, uh, stay tuned for that. Join us, especially if you like all things cloud related. Uh, you’re not going to miss Kevin and Brian, as we learn a lot more about what they’ve got planned for the big event, just a couple of weeks away. Okay. So with that said, uh, one more thing and I want to make sure, uh, folks, if you, if you do anything today, um, I’m hoping there’s two thing. We accomplished two things together. Number one, better uncover and, and hearing some new perspective on what, uh, our friends in India are experiencing. And number two, just like Greg said, how you can get involved

Scott Luton (05:41):

No matter how little, no matter how much, no matter

Scott Luton (05:43):

All points in between, we want to really help raise visibility of some of these critical projects. So on that note, before we say hello to a few folks, I want to share this a couple of times, uh, Enrique is team’s really doing a great job quarterbacking and amongst a wide variety of, of initiatives. If you want to get involved india@vectorgl.com, and we’re also going to share a vba.com or.org in the comments to outstanding, uh, initiatives to, to really get stuff where they need to be to help people. Alright, so Greg and Enrique, uh, I want to say, look to a few folks, and then we’re going to tee things up, sharing some of the latest news on India, and then we’re going to bring in our wonderful panel here today. Are y’all ready to go? Yep. Let’s do it. Let’s do it. So, uh, let’s take a look to a few folks are tuned in today.

Scott Luton (06:33):

Kayvon is back, uh, also a supply chain doctor. Uh, hopefully Chris is okay with that. Um, but Kayvon, great to see you here today. Nick rumor, uh, Nick COPAS finds you well, did a great job on this weekend business history, talking about sustainability and climate change. Love Greg and Enrique. I love rubbing elbows with passionate people that want to do good. And Nick is certainly one of those folks. Uh, Muhammad is tuned in via LinkedIn. Great to see you here today. Sean Davis is, uh, in India, tuned in we’ve enjoyed his contributions on these live streams, SRE, nevus, hope this finds you and your family. Well B’nai is back. Vinay has been, uh, coming on strong here lately. Hadn’t he? Greg?

Greg White (07:15):

Yeah. Been here a lot.

Scott Luton (07:18):

He sure has Peter bullae of course you can’t have a live stream without Peter. Uh, I wonder what project he’s got up his sleeve this week. I’m sure

Greg White (07:27):

Whether there’s anything, uh, in, in, uh, Quebec, like it is here, then he’s got to top up on his Mustang.

Scott Luton (07:36):

Well, I was able to reconnect one-on-one with Peter on Friday and catch up with him and some things he’s doing. So, uh, Peter hope this finds you well and Kita is tuned in via LinkedIn. Welcome. Great to have you here, David, David’s gotten your head shot. David hope this finds you well in Canada and that you’re doing well up there. Let’s see. Aaron SMI tack, uh, I’ll call Minecraft mind. Crap. Aaron must have kids. Huh?

Greg White (08:06):

That is a throwback game to like the beginning of gaming. I think Minecraft is, and I have still never played it. I can’t believe it.

Scott Luton (08:14):

I don’t, I hadn’t either. So I’m going to uncover what exactly what it is. Daniel Hart net is with us. Hello

Greg White (08:22):

From Virginia. Um,

Scott Luton (08:26):

His back, he says, did I miss Enrique signature interest? We were discussing that before we actually

Greg White (08:35):

Right. He was already here. That’s right. Yeah.

Scott Luton (08:40):

Mohit. I want to plant a seed with you. So we’re going to be launching the series, uh, to really feature a point of view and perspective and insights from, uh, college students, especially those who are majoring in supply chain programs or, you know, business program. So we’d love to have which cost state and the mix. So we’ll have to reconnect after today’s live stream. Okay. I know there’s a lot more folks we couldn’t get here to here today. We want to, we want to get to the order that the issue of the day, uh, which is, uh, the pandemic in India. Uh, but welcome everybody. And thanks so much for tuning in. And again, want to challenge everybody to give on some level to these great initiatives, uh, whatever, whatever you can afford. Okay. So in [inaudible] and Greg, uh, and there’s so much reporting going on around, what’s taking place in India.

Scott Luton (09:28):

Uh, I want to set a table just a little bit with some, with some of the latest news that came out, uh, this morning. So I’m going to share this here and you’ll stop me if y’all have heard, if you want to add anything or any kind of clarification. Um, but, uh, according to CNBC, India, second wave of the COVID-19 of course has continued to rise. In fact, the world health organization said a few days ago that one in every three cases of the coronavirus globally is being reported in India. They’ve had almost 7 million cases reported just in the month of April alone. And I think they had 19 million all told, so a big, big, big number there just in the month of April. So scientists say, and one of our panelists was talking about this and the pre-show signed to say a big factor in the challenge to control COVID-19 in India is the emergence of two variants, a UK variant, and an Indian variant.

Scott Luton (10:23):

Uh, uh, let’s see here, my Haraj tra home to Mumbai has been the epicenter of this second wave. And I think I’ve got, uh, yeah, far and away the epicenter of the second wave. And, you know, if you’re geographically challenged, like I am, or kind of wanted to just put a basic map up there. So you get a sense of where, uh, the main, you know, uh, the main state in India has been, uh, challenged with this second wave. So vaccination efforts also have been hampered by shortages. And unfortunately the supply crunch with as relates to vaccines is expected to last through July. So that’s not good news. So, um, you know, before we bring on our panelists and Ricky, I want you to, uh, we’re Morgan, talk a lot about, um, what’s going on and, and a variety of efforts, but tell us, I shared that address earlier, just before we bring on our panelists, just to share a little bit about how you would challenge folks to, you know, communicate via that email. How can folks jump in there?

Enrique Alvarez (11:20):

Yes, no. And the one thing that I, at least for me has been very clear and something that I’ve learned throughout this last year, even more than a year of the pandemic is that all our efforts make a difference. Right? So it doesn’t matter if you’re like a large corporation. It doesn’t matter if you’re donating some money. It doesn’t matter if you’re donating PP or just kind of lending a helping hand to someone, uh, out there. I think, uh, I think this pandemic has kinda like made the world come closer together and I think it has actually made our community scum closer together. So the one thing that I would say before, kind of like introducing the people that are really, really, uh, pushing this efforts and, and really changing the world and changing what’s happening in India is let’s just all pitch in, right.

Enrique Alvarez (12:02):

I think, uh, we’ve done this before, when we started the pandemic back in December two years ago now, uh, we send some PPE to China and that’s when it started before we even hit the U S or the Western world. And, uh, we’ve gone through our first share of, uh, suffering here in this country and in all the other countries in Latin America and the world. And now it’s, it’s India stern and it’s heartbreaking and it’s devastating and we have to, we can just not do nothing, right. We can keep our arms cross, we have to act. So that would be the one thing that I want to let people know if it’s via our email, if you have the V we have oxygenator, so maybe you have other materials. The idea is that we’re going to be sourcing some of these and then supporting them to, to be shipped.

Enrique Alvarez (12:48):

And we’ll be donating as well. Some of the shipments and the idea is that we try to help our friends and partners. We have good partners, uh, in logistics in India that we work with and we’ve been working with for many years and they’re suffering. So, uh, we just want to kind of do whatever we can to, to support, support them, uh, in this time of need. Love that. Thank you so much Enrique. And if you know, Enrique, uh, talk about passion, uh, Greg, uh, I love action focused leadership, you know, deeds, not words and, and his team are all about

Greg White (13:24):

Greg. Yeah, no doubt. Um, I mean, and this impacts a lot of people at blue Ridge. Uh, we have an office in, a development office in Poona, which is East Southeast of, of Mumbai, which is right in the Maharashtra province. And, um, and I haven’t gotten a report on, on where we stand there, but I did get a report from a friend who lives in Bangalore, who also has operations in hydro bod and also in Poona. And he said 20% of his team is infected. So, uh, it’s not a small, uh, you know, an, an insignificant surge there. I mean, there is some good news that nearly as many people are recovering each day about, well, about 30, 37, whatever that is, um, as are being infected. But just to give you an idea, yesterday 370,000 people, um, were reported infected. There were, uh, 370,000 new cases.

Greg White (14:25):

Scott, the total cases is 19.9 million, just so you know, but a lot of those cases have happened during this surge because India early on locked down tight and even their first surge numbers, weren’t nearly the surge that most, most countries saw. So, uh, this is new and growing rapidly, uh, level of, of infection in that country. So if, if you’re interested the, um, M O H F w.gov dot I N, the Indian government is there, um, ministry of health has reporting there and also worldwide meters.info. If you haven’t been going to that site, uh, you can go there and see what’s going on with coronavirus globally. And it, it breaks it down, uh, very well into about every single number you could possibly have interest in. But truth is this isn’t really about numbers, right? Right. About 3,400 people passed yesterday from Corona by risk. There are about 3.3, 3.4 million cases active right now.

Scott Luton (15:36):

Well, um, let’s see. So we have assembled a panel. We want to really get as connected as we could. And as much as we value the news, we’ll kind of want to get past the news and hear kind of on a human level, uh, from this great panel we’ve put together. So I want to, uh, introduce them really quick, and then we’re going to switch them into the stream. And, and, uh, Greg, we’ll go from there. So joining us here today, we’ve got chef [inaudible] and Indian chef restaurant tour, cookbook writer, filmmaker, and humanitarian based in New York city, we have Keyur Shah based, and also based in New York, serves on the board of directors with a nonprofit as leading dozens of humanitarian efforts in India. We’ve got our friend Dhairya Patel, a supply chain practitioner who is living in Northwestern, India at present before moving to Atlanta to attend Georgia tech. So let’s, let’s bring them into the conversation. Good afternoon, everybody. Thanks so much for your time. So, uh, Greg, um, really, really enjoyed that the pre-show conversation with, uh, with our panel here, connecting, uh, and really learning more about some of the great things they’re leading, but Greg, where do we want, we’re going to start with our panel here today.

Greg White (16:48):

Well, I mean, I think it’s good to hear about what’s going on. We have done a little bit of that, but I think I’d like to hear from, um, Chef [inaudible] and, and a little bit about what you’ve seen, what’s motivated your efforts because, and, and how you’re contributing to response and, and helping uplift the people of India. So, you know, when the first hit of the coronavirus reached India, the first wave, we understood that, uh, it’s going to be a food challenge, very important that they could be possibly the people dying of hunger. Sorry, I haven’t slept all night. So the migrant workers were going back to the villages and we saw the huge pandemic around hunger. And that is the time we started feeding down. And, uh, in almost a year, we still had more than 60 million people, which is a big amount of number, but not such a massive number as compared to need

Chef Vikas Khanna (17:50):

Of the hour, because we started with a lot of difficulty. But then the second with it, you know, we figured out that the only way to move forward would be partnerships, partnerships to get oxygen concentrators, BP, get to figure out how to make makeshift hospitals, which are hygenic and accessible. And that is where, you know, in Vicki and everybody and KU, and everybody came on board. And if it’s their vision to put this forward and to support the country, as much as we can in this time, if they’re just an emotional people are interviewing me, they want me to comment on the political issue of it. I said, it’s a human issue. Let’s leave everything behind, have a lot of time to do that right now is the time to save lives, find a way to find solutions and use all our training skill resources to support the country right now.

Greg White (18:42):

Well, I really appreciate what you’re doing and yeah, certainly transcends politics if anything, does these days, that certainly does. So I appreciate that point of view. And we’re going to talk a little bit more about what you’re doing at depth here in just a little bit, but in the meantime, it’d be great to hear maybe from ground level Dhairya, if, uh, I think our whole community knows you Dhairya, and yet probably many have never seen you speak before, but I really appreciate you being on the show. Tell us a little bit about where you are in India and what you’re seeing or experiencing yourself.

Dhairya Patel (19:18):

Thank you. Thank you for inviting me on the show. So basically came from the Northwest part of ADM and the situation in India is really green. Right now, we are facing a pandemic and there is, as you say, around 3.7, uh, lack cases being reported daily, there is a shortage of oxygen and medical critical medical equipment, such as ventilators at various hospitals. The hospitals are inundated with patients with [inaudible] reaching, but, uh, patients are not able to gain a base for the loved ones. And this is really alarming situation. As you say, that India was able to contain the COVID cases during the first week, but right now, India cannot afford a second dog down because there are 90% of our workforce works in the informal sector. So it is basically an effort or to Lambo the critical infrastructure and provide medical oxygen as much as possible in order to provide immediate relief to the patients who are experiencing the current surge.

Dhairya Patel (20:30):

And, uh, as I believe that India has always embraced the ideology of Vasudeva Katoomba, the whole pole is a one big family. And therefore during the time of India was exporting around 16 million COVID doses to various countries. And this time India needs your help. It is in the midst of a crisis. So every small contribution will make a difference, not just in monetary terms, but I believe that even have also being very active on social media and they have tried to, uh, mobilize the resources and consolidate various resources on certain platforms and provide SOS and help centers for each other. So in these times of need, it is very much important to United as a community. I know for each other. That’s what I believe.

Greg White (21:18):

Thank you for sharing that as you are. I mean, as you, um, you mentioned that there’s no real possibility to kind of lock down as you’ve done in the past because of the economy and the nature of, you know, in the nature of how the economy is driven right now. And I don’t, as Vika said earlier, I don’t even know the politics of India. So frankly, this couldn’t be political, but I’m curious, how have you seen, um, people try to manage in that experienced area?

Dhairya Patel (21:52):

So like, uh, people having very active, like we have our neighbors and we are, who are trying to help each other in these times of need. They’re trying to mobilize resources like starting organizations have tried to make large things and they have tried to provide meals to the over positive patients and families. So in these times of need life of at least if we would help one person or one family and we can take care of each other, then that would be, that would make a greater impact. And that has been the ground reality. Like people having, they have involved music, the emotions of the, uh, urines that families are facing.

Greg White (22:35):

We’re going to talk a little bit about, about, uh, Keyur Shah what you are doing with VBA and maybe you, before you share a little bit about that, because I think that’s what we’d like to focus most of the, of the discussion on, but if you could, uh, if you could share a little bit of, of what you’re seeing as well, and I’m not sure, I don’t know what part of the country you’re in here. So can you share that with us?

Keyur Shah (23:01):

Sure. So, you know, I live in Princeton, New Jersey, but I’m based out of Mumbai India. So I have a lot of family in Mumbai in Maharashtra. And, uh, you know, obviously they have all been badly affected, uh, you know, five years ago we had not imagined a pandemic beyond the movie contagion. And now we are in the midst of, uh, the second wave in India. Uh, like, because like, you know, we may all have our own views regarding what went wrong. Uh, but we been up along with, because our laser focused on how to make it right and, uh, how to save lives, how to save,

Keyur Shah (23:46):

Uh, good art is, uh, uh, you know, via the whole team that we have put together is completely volunteer driven as an organization is a hundred percent volunteer driven via ensuring that all the farms that we raise, which is about 350 gave a real reach right now a hundred percent of seats are going for oxygen, concentrators, BPQ, and so on and so forth. So, you know, the goal is that, you know, bring together partners like Enrique yourself, like, you know, build a big team and because has been like you see on his face, he has not been sleeping or like it’s just, uh, being on and on.

Keyur Shah (24:30):

Yeah. So, you know, the idea is like, you know, get in people who understand what needs to be done, you know, empathetic towards what’s happening there and we’re focused on getting it right. And you know, what we have realized with this widest is that, you know, it hits the lungs back and people have oxygen level drops and folks get a cardiac NSA or things similar. And so the need is, you know, getting devices like oxygen concentrators, and it’s a simple device which takes nitrogen, you know, gets air, takes nitrogen out and gives purified air oxygen to the patient. So simple thing, but it, you know, is something that can save lives. So that’s where like, you know, get the concentrators, get oxygen to India and, uh, save lives. That’s what has been motivating us. One of the things that are mentioned on my phone call and we’ll pray today is that, uh, time is of the essence, right? So at the end of the day, if you wait like 10 days, five days, 15 days to source, it is, I mean, probably a very harsh way of putting it. But every day he passes a lot more people will die, right? So, so sourcing quickly and effectively and rapidly requires a lot of effort from a lot of people from all over the world. And, uh, but well, we have to act quick or the, or the quicker we act the better we’ll be for, for people.

Scott Luton (26:06):

Absolutely. So, um, you know, it’s really important going back to something you said earlier, you know, each country, uh, across the globe have embraced, you know, different times and they’re really challenging times. And, um, and, and with India now navigating through this, uh, you know, as, uh, Vika was sharing and as each of y’all were sharing, there’s some unique challenges to containment. Um, and when, um, one of the things we’re hoping, uh, and one of the things I’ve seen and being reported on is that, uh, the manufacturing, you know, getting everybody vaccinated of course, is, is going to be really important. I’ve seen some of the vine ways to, to increase production of that and include including production facilities based in India, which is going to be great news. But, um, because if you could, if you could share a little bit more, you brought up the, uh, the food and, and the, um, you know, families that might, may be hungry, which is a different element. I hadn’t thought of yet. Could you elaborate a little bit more on perhaps that need, you’re seeing in India right now?

Chef Vikas Khanna (27:09):

So now what’s happening right now that the economy of the country is slipping that’s happening globally. But in India, we also understand that we have a majority of the people like in big cities are daily wage workers right now businesses have come to a halt. So you’re talking about people who earn almost daily and they have to feed the family daily. So a part of our initiative is also to feed the families. You know, so what we do is we provide them with kids which have dry grains, rice, lentils, flour, and, you know, just a basic salt, sugar tea. And we started giving those to those families who are right now, either displaced or in quarantine centers in villages, or are not working. But it is also tough because what’s happening is that, uh, one tears have really reduced to numbers because everybody has issues in their families right now.

Chef Vikas Khanna (28:02):

It’s really hit home right now, as you see. So it’s also important that, you know, people are eating properly, you know, not just properly, they’re eating at least, you know, that is something that just breaks my heart because all what I’m based on is what I learned from that country and this food and the kitchens, and to see that the country’s struggling just with the basic food, it’s also breaking our hearts. You know, you’re talking about one person and, you know, there’s so many people right now, and it’s going to be a little tough for the next few months. I know that for sure. And speaking to so many people throughout the day and night, and you know, of course, one other person who is based in India, he can tell that right now, the people who are working on daily wages, they don’t have any work right now. So food is something which is the most important necessity in many parts too, of course, but we have discussed a first priority right now after this pandemic is under control of right now, the second wave is opening up vaccination centers. We are not going to stop. We are going to find more partners and ways on ground where people will get vaccinated.

Scott Luton (29:13):

Excellent. Um, and Amanda or clay, I appreciate y’all dropping the link, uh, to vba.org where folks can, can support, uh, what Viki has just shared as well as some other challenges that kiosk and Daria have shared. So doing wonderful work right there on the ground, you know, meeting the need exactly where it is and because, um, very eloquently stated. So our hearts and our prayers and our actions are with you and that’s, um, really appreciate you, you being today and, and, uh, that human element, the human element to the need and to the time and to the challenge is so important for folks to understand, because, you know, in the, in this current news cycle, you know, things staying in front of the camera for 24 hours, and then it rolls to the next woman. And, and sometimes when those stories roll, you still have so many hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people that are hurting. So thanks so much for taking time here today, Greg,

Chef Vikas Khanna (30:06):

I think we have to, I think we have to recognize the potential scale here. This is the second most populated nation on the entire planet. 1.3, almost 1.4 billion people. So arguably I mean, their numbers as high as 1.7 that I’ve seen, but it’s a lot of people. Uh, and, and the scale is far outstripping. The government’s ability had the healthcare healthcare infrastructure’s ability to support it. Um, so there, there’s no doubt that external help is needed. And, you know, if you can, of course you can, you can help by, by, uh, reaching out as Enrique said@indiaatvectorgl.com or at, uh, VBA. Sorry, how, uh, what is, do we have the URL? Did we drop the URL for that?

Scott Luton (30:59):

Hey, if I could. Um, and thanks for calling that out, Greg, again, we want to keep that front and center, uh, india@vectorgl.com and [inaudible] dot org, and the links are in the comments. Um, we’ve got a question here from a LinkedIn user. I’m not sure who this is a clay demand. If y’all could let me know. Uh, he or she says, what I have been hearing in the news is that the real issue is in the logistics of oxygen from manufacturer to hospitals, is that the case can, can any of our panelists or even Enrique can, can you all share anything, anything, uh, as to nada that’s Nanda, by the way, thank you for letting us kind of take that cause he’s actually been an Orca you’re cause they’ve been very involved in that and they’re actually focusing their efforts in oxygen and oxygen concentrators.

Chef Vikas Khanna (31:43):

So within a few days, hours, actually a 50 oxygen concentrators will land in India. You already placed an order for 500 more. You would have been coordinating that day in and day out. You know, it’s not easy. You’re talking about global logistics, especially during a pandemic, but they are all on the way and we’ll be landing soon, which will hopefully be able to initiate a lot of different productivities. And which would you say, inshallah, this can save a lot of lives. This is just the beginning of our initiatives here.

Scott Luton (32:16):

Wonderful. Um, all right. So the oxygen haters, we’ve talked about the food, which, um, um, that need as well. What else is there anything else that may be, um, would be in our blind spot, uh, in terms of specific supplies that if folks have, we need to get it moving.

Chef Vikas Khanna (32:35):

You know, there are a lot of images we are seeing from India, these fellow, the folks who are helping, but the last cremations or the burials, and we need to protect those people too. You know, it breaks our hearts to see those images. So BR ordered a lot of PPE kits. Enrique has been totally hands on on that. This is the very high quality PP kits, which people will be wearing, which we’ll also have to remember. It’s very hot in India right now. And these are the people who are doing the last rights. Then many families abandoned the dead bodies of COVID patients. These are the people who are performing the last rights so that, you know, that’s, that’s, that’s the basic dignity of right now. And that is going to be our very big focus, starting to speak that these people also need to be protected

Keyur Shah (33:22):

From a logistics standpoint. Scott, if I may just start, one thing is we need more help, right? And this is what we’re doing this show. And this is why, because some care and everyone has been actually working so hard. It’s like, as Greg pointed out, it needs, it’s going to need a lot of help from a lot of countries, from a lot of people out there. And so the more we can raise the awareness, the better it will be. And the more we actually understand that two things, one that I kind of tell my children all the time is the more you give, the more you give, the more you get. That’s a fact, right? So you have to, you have to be willing to give. And then the other is, this is not an Indian problem. This is India has so much interaction and interconnectivity with all the other countries in the world that this is going to impact every single one of us, right?

Keyur Shah (34:09):

From all sitting here in Atlanta, to someone sitting in Moscow to in Kenya or wherever you are in the world, just recognize hopefully after a year of pandemic that helping India is ultimately not just about helping India. It’s about helping you and your family because the world is very connected. And if India cannot get back to work safely and efficiently, that impact’s going to be reflected in higher shipping costs, inflation in other countries on tons of other things that we’ve been seeing already. Right. And we’ll continue to experience are going to make supply chain, uh, again, incredibly challenging as we have seen for the last couple of months. Yeah. I appreciate that. And Rica and, and that’s, that’s certainly where we hope to serve as a connector. You know, there, there’s a huge, as we all know, we’ve been speaking to demand for logistics, right?

Keyur Shah (34:59):

Uh, not just the infrastructure and the wherewithal, but expertise. So if you’re, you know, if you’re out there, if you’re a global supply chain organization, and then you’ve got some, uh, some wherewithal to donate towards these efforts, please, uh, you know, use that india@vectorgl.com. Even if you have a thought or an idea, reach out, let let let’s, um, you know, don’t say, no, let, let Enrique or the vector team say no, let’s, uh, let’s get as creative as possible. So india@vectorgl.com. Thank you. Okay. So, um, one last and Daria, because cure would definitely, uh, if there’s

Scott Luton (35:38):

Anything that we want to y’all would like to touch on today, please, this is your platform, and we’re very honored to have you here. Um, Greg, I didn’t mean to cut you off. Were you about to add something?

Dhairya Patel (35:49):

Um, only that I’ve been muting my mic so that everyone doesn’t have to listen to the thunderstorm? Uh, well, I think look, um, I think what’s important to recognize again, I said scale, right? That the recovery rate, as I said is very high, but the numbers are enormous. Again, this is an enormous country. So as, as Enrique is said, and it’s everyone else has said, the impact is significant. It’s significant on supply chain. It’s significant on the economy. It’s significant on human beings and it’s not just the illness. As Vika said, it is the collateral impact of the economy. Essentially, even if not mandated by the gum government, coming to a complete stand still and stopping people who earn their next A’s money today. Um, you know, I don’t think a lot of us in, in highly developed countries recognize that there are a lot of people, as we could said, who are earning what they’re going to buy bread width in the morning right now. And if the economy has stopped, they can’t do that. And they don’t have a savings account and they don’t have backup stock. So there’s not a lot of a backstop for, for a lot of those people. And that’s another reason as Enrique said, that’s another reason why action right now really, really mattered.

Scott Luton (37:09):

Excellent point, Greg. Well, so let’s do this. I want to go kind of, uh, uh, around, through our panel. One more time. I love for y’all to share how can folks reach out and connect with y’all or, or the initiatives you’re you’re leading and supporting. And of course, if there’s anything else you would like to add to the conversation here today, that folks really need to know, uh, please share. And, um, let’s start with you, Darian.

Dhairya Patel (37:32):

Yeah. Uh, so make in India is that is often ignored, is the mental health aspect of it. So we have families like, uh, getting impacted by COVID-19 virus and therefore, um, employers and organizations need to understand that this is a time when they need to empathize with that, uh, with that employees understand that some deadlines may get missed, but in the end, what remains is the, uh, how their employees are doing and how their families are doing. So, is it this time that you can really show that how much you can feel them? So one important aspect is connecting with folks, Stripe, understand, like, what are they going through? Anger lending is something [inaudible] young. People have a role to play when they can interact with family members. And [inaudible] because people are also have this fear of COVID, right? They, uh, they are constantly feeling anxious that they will catch COVID because of the parents. And so there needs to be a certain awareness that, uh, as saying that the recovery rate is also good enough. So there is also positivity around that. And therefore this also should not be neglected and distinction also, that’s what I believe. And, uh, yeah, folks can always connect with me and send me a connection request. Welding. I’m always open for a conversation

Scott Luton (39:06):

Daria. Uh, you’re a treasure in our livestreams and it’s been, it was great to sit down with you one-on-one and, and learn more about your perspective and your story. Not too long ago, we look forward to publishing that this week, and I really appreciate you jumping on a short notice to share some of your observations here today, Darian, um, and folks you can see in the ticker here, we’ve got not only the vector GL, uh, email, but also, uh, vba.org. If I said that, right. And I apologize if I didn’t. So B I B H a.org, y’all check out, learn, learn more about what they’re doing. And of course, we’d encourage you to donate one, one comment for a move to Vegas. Uh, let’s see here. So Kim winner from Dubai has joined us, Kim, thanks so much. Great to see you. I hope you and your family doing well. He’s gonna start online promo this evening, uh, to really drive traffic to the, these organizations. So thanks so much Kim, for, for leveraging your, your global community there. All right. So, because, um, you know, I’ll tell you the pain is so, um, you can see it so visual and you in your testimony here today, and it is heartbreaking. It is absolutely heartbreaking, but how can folks, you know, what else would you add and how can folks connect and really get behind the effort here?

Dhairya Patel (40:23):

I think we are at the stage where we need everyone’s hands together to make this disappear. I wish there was some magical miracle, but eventually the biggest miracle is all of us coming together. That’s America. And I’m just saying that support veeva.org in whatever way you can. And that’s what they’re working on ground to be more resourceful and using all our platforms to be a part of the solution.

Scott Luton (40:51):

Excellent point. And, and, um, and, and from what I understand, I’m kinda new to the vba.org, but, but there, as you said, it boots on ground. They’re there locally. They’re doing stuff locally. They’re very connected to, uh, the wide variety of needs and get that information back to, well, their teams, wherever they are, whether it’s the States or elsewhere. So, um, it it’s, you know, there’s charities that really are in the know with their, not just their finger, but their whole hand on the pulse of what’s needed. Those are, those are, uh, groups doing great work. So thanks so much for bringing that message here today, especially that message of let’s pull together. You’ve got to pull together and get to into the post pandemic environment, um, key or what, what else? Um, there’s so much share and, and folks it’s not lost on us, you know, an hour live stream, you know, um, it’s tough to get into all the different moving pieces related to what’s going on in India. But if nothing else, if we walk away with one person and one business leader, that’s aware now more what the challenges are, and we’ll take action, then this will be a win for us a key, or what, what, what else would you add and how can folks connect with you?

Keyur Shah (41:59):

Uh, like you already have the website.org/donate is where we have all the information we keep on updating the website with where we stand, uh, you know, currently. And, uh, I just, uh, two quotes that I like to mention. One is Steve jobs, which is like, you know, the things you most in life are the things you didn’t do. And, uh, finally, uh, you know, the costs and I have a favorite in calmer and, uh, you know, uh, one of his, I remind myself every day and that is, uh, if you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. And I believe it, that, that

Scott Luton (42:51):

Thank you so much. I’m trying to maintain a sense of humor. It can be really challenging, but really appreciate the wonderful leadership work that you are doing. Our, our, again, our actions and thoughts and prayers are with you all. And we look forward to talking with you and reconnecting with you again soon, we’ve been talking with Jeff [inaudible], QR Shaw and Daria Patel. Thank you so much, everybody.

Keyur Shah (43:14):

Thank you.

Scott Luton (43:17):

You know, um, I’m not sure what else I can add. I’m I, I am really, um, it pains me to see folks in pain and it’s just, so it becomes human, right? When you, when you sit down, even in this virtual world, we’re in a, it just becomes so much more human. And as, as, uh, chef Bekah said, I wish there was some kind of magic, one silver bullet, you name it, right.

Keyur Shah (43:42):

I think we can come together though right on the us. He mentioned as well. The, the miracle is that we’re finally all going to realize that we’re all living in the same world and we have to act together. And, um, the only other thing that I wanted to say is God has used thanking publicly and openly for all the other organizations and people that have already reached out to me and to vector and a really great organizations here in Atlanta, uh, like MedShare and map, and, uh, ever, okay. Our partners in China, they jumped immediately in, and they’re going to try to send a container to China, um, donated by them and our partners in India. And there’s so many other people and, and an organization that I’ve come to us, um, telling us that they want to help, right? Like the WCA, uh, EO, the entrepreneurship organization,

Greg White (44:32):

And you guys supply chain now, I mean, you, no one hesitated, right? The minute that you guys found out there was a need and there was a way to help you or like all in. And again, you’re not going to say that about your organization, Scott, because you’re humble as well, but I just want to point it out that that’s great. I mean, thanks for helping. I mean, you guys are a caring and a very purpose driven organization, and we’re proud to, to be part of, of you guys as well. Oh, I hope you heard that in Rica, it looks like it’s on their storms. Yes. We’ve gotten them. But on behalf of, of Scott, thank you very much. Uh, you know, of course, um, you know, this is part of what you do. You co you helped me coin the phrase, give forward by what you’ve done with logistics, with purpose and how you approach business and life in general.

Greg White (45:25):

Um, so it’s been a great influence on us and it’s been something that has, has helped us a lot. And I think that, you know, one of the most important things to recognize here is that, you know, as, as, um, Vic, us and Kay are both said, is any small difference you can make is still a difference, right? So, um, own it. Do you know, do whatever you can be. The, um, uh, another amazing Indian person would say, Gandhi, be the change you want to be in the world. Right. And this is the perfect opportunity for that. So please go to B pod.org, donate and help, uh, chef beak S effort and help India. Yeah. Uh, well, I think we lost the boss. So I think we’ve, I think we’ve hit this topic pretty well today. Look, give however you can. And if you don’t know how you can just reach out to us, you can reach out to Enrique or Scott or myself on LinkedIn, and, uh, we’ll get, we’ll get right to you and help you figure out how you can contribute. But easiest thing is just hit one of those links right there on the bottom of the screen, do what you can. Um, as, as Scott would say, as we always sign off, do good, give forward and be the change you want to see in the world.

Intro/Outro (46:51):

Everybody. Thanks for being a part of our supply chain. Now, community check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to supply chain. Now anywhere you listen to podcasts and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on supply chain. Now.