The test of fire makes fine steel and the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be one of the toughest challenges this world has witnessed in recent times, resulting in devastating consequences on healthcare systems across the world, and India is no exception to this rule.
The governments, both at the Centre and state levels, have been witnessing their capabilities being stretched to the limits and reach a breaking point. News of the scarcity of medicines or their unavailability in certain areas, rising death tolls and the ever-increasing rate of infections has been adding to the anxiety of the already suffering patients and their loved ones.
At a time when the public sector is being overwhelmed with this global challenge, it is the moral responsibility of the private sector to step in and contribute.
As the nation grapples with a herculean task that its healthcare system has never faced before, conventional ideas and rigid thinking will bear no fruit. An infusion of innovation and fresh blood is required in the workforce minds which are unafraid of exploring hitherto unknown frontiers and not beholden to accepted ways of thinking.
Four young Australia returned students have shown the willingness to face this test with fortitude and resolved to pass it with flying colours. Character is not born but displayed in a crisis. This adage has been proven right by the restless energy that Karan Singh and his three friends have exuded to find a way to reduce the negative impact of the pandemic.
As the government machinery was busy combating the coronavirus, with some assistance from the private sector, four young interns at Marg ERP Ltd. refused to be mere spectators and watch the unfolding of this disaster from the sidelines. They decided to apply their passion and perspective on the ongoing catastrophe and invent solutions that others missed as they lay in plain sight.
In his own words, Karan describes how he felt underutilised and under what circumstances the idea of Marg Mart struck his mind. "We had to come back from Australia after COVID-19 struck and I joined our family business as an intern. My dad is very particular about learning the basics and soon I was attending calls of customers to help them run operations smoothly. I always felt incomplete because I was inexperienced but wanted to do something unique, something extraordinary. When the second wave of COVID-19 struck we started getting calls from various corners about the availability of life-saving medicines. After a few calls, an idea struck my mind - to provide the availability of medicines in the form of a website to visitors. Something from where users may find various medicines. I discussed the idea with my friends and they were game for it. We gathered the courage to discuss the idea with parents as we had no idea how to proceed.