Lessons the Pandemic taught me: Opportunity in Adversity
The hard and brutal reality didn’t register till I got a WhatsApp message from a colleague asking me, “Ab Kya”?
Now what?
When I received this message, I was at home, listening to our Honourable Prime Minister, addressing the nation, to brace for a nation-wide lockdown, that would come into force with the rising sun the following morning.
In West Bengal, we have heard a lot about lockouts, industries closing their operations in the wake of one or the other unsavoury incident, but this was an era long-gone and I had personally never experienced a “Lockout”. But ‘LOCKDOWN’? Being the first one-of-its-kind, we were all looking at each other to find answers to the never-ending questions – the how, when, what, because the only thing we knew was the ‘why’.
I felt uneasy, disturbed and disoriented. What it would be like if suddenly life comes to a standstill and remains so for eternity? What will happen to all the perishable stock at the factory if it is not sold tomorrow? Will I have to drain lacs of litres of milk? Will I have to tell my farmers to throw away lacs of kgs of bananas tomorrow?
Yet, as soon as I saw the WhatsApp message, I shot back, as if in a reflex action, without batting an eyelid, “Business as usual!”
On that fateful night, it was an audacious statement to make. How can we defy the inexorable reality of the day and go ahead with business as usual? To some it might have sounded like an empty rhetoric, an impossible claim of thoughtless bravado in the midst of a nerve-racking worldwide pandemic. Have I gone nuts?
What followed that night and then day after day, night after night, could easily be the staple of a blockbuster Hollywood thriller. In less than an hour after the Prime Minister’s momentous announcement, we swung into action, forming as many WhatsApp groups as possible, among our employees to communicate a simple yet poignant message. Come hail or sunshine, our show at Keventer would go on. Period.
The message had an electrifying effect that marked the beginning of a new chapter in our company’s history replete with moments of high drama, uncertainties and adventurism. The seemingly insurmountable challenge brought to the fore all the shining qualities and attributes of my colleagues; courage, fortitude, team spirit, bondage, sense of oneness and above all, putting duty over self, optimism over despair. In no time, the Keventer family turned into an unformidable army regiment battling in unfamiliar, rough, inhospitable terrain
Did we win the battle? The answer is too well known for reiteration. For us it was a stupendous victory if seen from the prism of numbers alone. On the morning of 24th March last year, the first day of nationwide lockdown, when all our competitors were groping in the dark, feeling lost in a hazy atmosphere, we did what we did every morning prior to the clamping of lockdown, ensuring with clockwise precision production and supply of our milk and banana to every nook and corner. Overnight the demand for our milk shot up forcing us to increase the supply by an additional thirty thousand litres. The demand in the market was for more but in our production facility not a drop of milk was left for distribution. Once we could breach the sound barrier, we did not have to look back. In the past ten months our market share in milk has been on a growth path, the future looks brighter than a year before.
Our success with milk bolstered us to do the same with all our products such as frozen food and beverages, as our team started visiting the market daily so that our connection with the retailers does not snap. The initiative bore fruits, we got unexpected results. In a show of defiance, our boys put up temporary shacks in front of those retailers who could not be persuaded to open shops. When others went indoors, preferring the safe, cloistered life in cocoons, we were out in the sun, constantly visible, swarming the market with our products. Consequently, we got our hard-earned rewards as fortune favours the brave.
To sum it up, our company showed no trace of any tremor during these troubled times earning kudos, encomiums from all around including our valued investors.
The all-important lesson we learnt from this calamity is pretty simple. In life there are no problems, only opportunities. We could, with determined collective efforts, turn a big problem into a bigger opportunity. As the proverb goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. The lesson should now serve as our beacon light, let us turn it into our leitmotif as we go forward and scale newer heights.
Our journey during those troubled months was far from being smooth as we had to encounter roadblocks and other difficulties every now and then on a daily basis. On the day the world first heard of the deadly COVID-19 virus, I took a personal vow, that I shall come to office Monday through Saturday, from eight in the morning to eight at night and if needed, also on Sundays. A few days into the pandemic a very senior colleague came up to me with an earnest appeal, “Sir, you must not come to office. What will happen to the organisation if God forbids something untoward happens to you.”
I heard him out patiently, understood from where his concerns emanated but I refused to budge. In this crisis, I had a special responsibility of leading my team from the front. We had to negotiate peculiar problems that came our way. We never gave up. I knew I had to be hands on for any situation, round the clock.
Today it gives me enormous satisfaction that I chose to do exactly what was expected of me. The crisis provided me a unique opportunity to watch from close quarters your indomitable zeal, courage and dedication to work amidst humongous difficulties
COVID-19 came to our house also. Many of us including myself suffered from it, but we overcame it.
I have always believed that victory is made, not given and self-conquest is the greatest of victories. We have been victorious and now it’s incumbent on us to continue this habit.
Your child’s nutrition is just a Shake. Poke. Sip away!
Milk is rich in nutrition. We’ve heard about all the benefits of milk, but very few of us include it in our diet. One of the major deterrents to drinking milk is its mobility. Initially, if you wanted to drink milk on the go, you’d have to carry your Tetra Pak along with a pair of scissors to cut open the pack. And even if you did manage to cut it open, you’d need a glass or cup to pour your milk into! Not such a simple process, is it? But what if we tell you that the milk that accompanies you wherever you go can be sipped on, easy-peasy! No need to boil and no need to pour it into any glass.
Introducing the Keventer Straw, inseparable from its UHT Tetra Pak and now inseparable from you too! You can carry it around with you wherever you go to stay charged, hydrated and rejuvenated anytime and anywhere. Not just that, kids have a lot to benefit from the Keventer Straw!
Here are a few situations illustrating how the all-new Keventer Straw, available in the 200ml and 160ml packs, can change the way your kid stays nourished every day.
Your child is late for school. Again!
They wake up on time, brush, bathe and dress up into their school uniform, but just take too long to drink their milk. No matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to find a solution to it. So how about packing their breakfast and letting them drink it on-the-go?
With the all-new Keventer Straw, your kid can sip on healthy and tasty nutrition while they’re on the way to school. No worry, no hassle. And no more being late for school.
Is playtime interfering with nutrition time?
At school, your kid is studying, playing and then studying some more. By the time lunch break arrives, their energy is low even though they may not realise it. You’ve been trying for some time to pack a lunch that will rejuvenate them and keep them fresh and ready to take on the day. But you’re not sure if you are doing it right.
In steps Keventer Milk, in all 3 variants, along with its all-new Keventer Straw that makes your kid’s life easier, healthier and more rejuvenated on-the-go. With the Keventer Straw, your kid can simply sip on nutrition, thus using the time it takes to eat lunch to play, but without the loss of nutrition!
Busy lives biting into eating habits
Unfortunately, in our fast-paced world today, your kid’s day isn’t really over after school. It is jam-packed with tuitions, practices, extra-curricular activities and so much more! Their lives are probably as hectic as ours, if not more. But do they really get the right nutrition to go on throughout the day?
That’s where Keventer Milk and its all-new Keventer Straw steps in! Your child can now carry all the nutrition they need on-the-go and are rejuvenated throughout the day, whether they’re on the way for tuition or on the way back from football practice!
Unhealthy binging during the evening
Your kids evening hunger pangs are usually the hardest to deal with. They’re home after a long and tiring day and evening snacks, in more cases than not, call for some unhealthy junk food. But you’ve had about enough of it and made a resolution that you’re putting your foot down with the junk food.
So, who do you turn to? Keventer Milk of course! Tasty, nutritious and easy to drink, just hand your kid a Tetra Pak and their evening hunger pangs will be cured with sips of wholesome Keventer Milk
Milk isn’t just for kids! It’s one of those daily nutrition packs that can be consumed by anyone who wants to stay nourished throughout the day. So, take an instance: you’re at the gym and you’ve completed a really heavy session. You’re out of energy, but have an entire day ahead of you at work! What comes to your nutritional rescue? Keventer Milk of course!
Head to a retailer near you and stock up.
Wholesome Goodness. Healthy Lifestyle. With Keventer Milk
People have different things to say about milk. That quintessential glass of milk every mom forces their child to drink in ads or films never happened with me. Maybe that's why I love my milk.
Warm. Cool. In my tea. With Horlicks or cocoa or some chocolate. Or plain.
Back home, our milk came from the local milkman for like forever and my siblings and I took turns to supervise the boiling and storage. If it boiled over then you had it from mom. After I moved to the city, I had plenty of options but whenever I came home, it was back to my old milkman and the fixed amount he brought daily. Now with Keventer Milk coming to the NE market, I'm so glad to have a healthy, delicious and easy use and hassle-free storage delicious milk option right at home.
Keventer Milk has launched 3 variants of milk in three volumes. Standardized (4.5% fat-Thick & Creamy), Toned (Daily use 3 % fat) and Double Toned (1.5% -Low Calorie) and has been competitively priced to make it affordable for the customers across East and North East India. It comes in 3 size options - 1000 ml family pack, 500 ml couple pack and the 200 ml solo pack you can carry on the go.
Ready to drink Keventer Milk comes in Tetra Pak and is UHT treated milk with aseptic packaging.
Now, what is UHT? Ultra-High-Temperature treatment is a food processing technology that sterilized liquid milk, by heating it above 135 degrees Celsius for 3 to 4 seconds thereby killing all the harmful bacteria while keeping the nutrition intact.
This milk has a shelf life of six months and does not require refrigeration or boiling. Once opened, you can refrigerate up to 2 days.
Personally, I prefer Keventer Toned Milk to drink slightly warmed or in my tea or with Hot chocolate on a daily basis. It is a rich source of nutrients and fortified with Vitamin A & D; and more importantly, free of preservatives! One huge plus point is the 200ml ready to go pack. Just what I needed to have with me for my long studio sessions, travel, and impromptu picnics.
No need to boil. No powder or water added. Tamper proof aseptic packing. Easy to carry or store. Just Cut, Pour and Drink!!!!
Look at the prices for toned milk! Very pocket-friendly.
Rs 55 (1 Litre)
Rs 28 (500 ml)
Rs 12 (200 ml)
Coffee drinkers may prefer the low calorie double toned whereas the standardized creamy version would be great to whip up delightful desserts!
Keventer Milk is now available in the North Eastern Markets of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Darjeeling, Siliguri, Nagaland, and Assam. So, go grab yours today and join me for a cuppa!
Keventer Milk – Why I Recommend It for all Families
Keventer is a brand that is synonymous with memories of yummy tasting dairy products. So when I was recently approached to review the Keventer range of milk, I could not wait to try them before I wrote an honest review about the entire range. Having tried them over the last month, I can now recommend them for my readers. Here is why it’s a good option for the entire family
Keventer Milk comes in three variants:
Keventer Standardised is the thick and creamy variant. It is wholesome and nutrient rich and has a fat percentage of 4.5%. It has no added preservatives and is fortified with vitamins A&D. This means that it is a great option for your growing children. Another great point to note is the fact that it is UHT (Ultra High Temperature) treated which basically is a method that sterilizes milk by heating it above 135°C for a few seconds, thus killing all the harmful bacteria. This makes it really safe to consume for children. It comes in aseptic packing and can be stored for upto 180 days without refrigeration. Talking about the price points, it is priced at Rs 60 for 1L, Rs 32 for 500ml and Rs 15 for 200ml
Keventer Toned Milk is the second variant of this range. It is meant for daily consumption having a fat percentage of only 3%. Since it is homogenized and follows aseptic packaging and processing method, it is a great option for on the go consumption. It does not require any boiling and comes in tetra packs with six layers of protection. This range is available at a price of Rs 55 for 1L, Rs 28 for 500ml and Rs 12 for 200ml.
Keventer Double Toned is the third variant and is a low calorie option for the health conscious. The fat percentage is even lower at just 1.5% and the benefits are just the same as the other variants. This is a good option to carry to work or the gym and consume it after your workout. This range is priced at Rs.50 for 1L and Rs 10 for 200ml.
Why it suits us: I have started using the Keventer Standardised and the Toned variants for our daughter and ourselves. The thick and creamy wholesome milk (Standardised) with proteins, vitamins, calcium and no added sugar really works for our kid as I often worry about the safety and quality of milk coming to the house from local sellers. The toned milk is a good option for me as I do not prefer full fat milk, so this lighter version suits me while keeping me healthy with fortified nutrients. The primary reason why I recommend this for all families and especially those that love to travel is the sheer convenience of carriage. Imagine being able to consume a fresh glass of milk while you are travelling straight from the packet without having to boil it first.
All the three variants are now also available across markets in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Darjeeling, Siliguri, Nagaland and Assam. So give this a go and let me know if you enjoyed tasting Keventer Milk.
Disclaimer: All the opinions expressed above are my own and not endorsed by the brand. Keventer Milk sent me a range of products to try and write a personal review for my audience.
Fortification of milk to fight against a ‘Silent Epidemic’
While each and every one of us is willing to connect and contribute to the vision of a healthy and disease-free life, a major section of the population is probably not aware of the spreading of a silent epidemic all around the country in the guise of micronutrient malnutrition. Micronutrients are mainly the vitamins and minerals that are essential for the normal functioning of the human body. They are different from familiar macronutrients like proteins, carbohydrates and fats - the more complex molecules. As a result, apparently, micronutrient deficiency does not look like an urgent and important issue to address. But one cannot ignore the gradual and certain potential health risks from micronutrient deficiencies that include a host of nutrient deficiency diseases, as well as early onset of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, increased chances of fractures, bone and muscle ache, eye disorders and anaemia, among other possible ailments. Traditionally, malnourishment in India is usually discussed as a problem of the underprivileged, rural population. But a growing body of research is linking the micronutrient malnutrition also to the well-off segment of the urban population - interestingly, the very same segment that also faces the rising rate of obesity.
As per the selected state-wide surveys conducted by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) of National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Government of India, almost 62% of Indian population has low serum blood levels of vitamin A and 50% - 94% of people in different states across India, suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Hence, the focus has been set on two of the most important micronutrient deficiencies in India, namely Vitamin A and D.
The easy answer to this challenge may be having a balanced diet containing recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of all the micronutrients. Incidentally, the prevailing ecosystem is not at all compatible with such simple solution primarily because of our socio-economic condition, customs, practices, etc. The task at hand is to do what is possible without ignoring what is necessary. Food fortification, a scientifically proven, cost-effective, scalable and sustainable intervention is considered as a workable pragmatic way that addresses the issue of micronutrient deficiencies. Globally it has been used for successful control of micronutrient deficiencies since 1920 as per WHO guidelines.
Importance of Vitamin A:
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient required for maintaining immune function, eye health, vision, growth and survival of human beings. Vitamin A deficiency is a major controllable nutritional problem. It is estimated that 30-40,000 children in India, may lose their eyesight because of vitamin A deficiency. The published literature linked vitamin A insufficiency with specific child mortality due to measles, diarrhoea, malaria and other infectious diseases and to all-cause maternal mortality.
International donors and agencies including the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Health Organization (WHO) and others have actively supported both national and global level initiatives to raise awareness about the problem of vitamin A deficiency and to promote efforts to implement effective and affordable solutions.
Importance of Vitamin D:
Vitamin D a hidden threat (since it is not available in the natural foods), is a vital nutrient required for strong bones because it helps the body use calcium from the diet. Traditionally, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with rickets, a disease in which the bone tissue doesn't properly mineralize, leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities. But increasingly, research is revealing the importance of vitamin D in protecting against a host of health problems like increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, Cognitive impairment in older adults, severe asthma in children and Cancer. Research suggests that vitamin D could play a role in the prevention and treatment of a number of different conditions, including type1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and multiple sclerosis.
Milk Fortification with Vitamin A and D:
Improving the nutrition scenario of India has been a key challenge. India is at 97th place out of 118 countries on Global Hunger Index, 2016. Over 70% of India’s population still consumes less than 50% of RDA for micronutrients. One-third of about two billion people who are suffering from vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies globally, are in India. Despite four decades of a national supplementation programme, little progress has been made to reduce critical nutrient deficiencies in India.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been promoting food fortification in a big way since 2016 for complementing diet diversification to help complete a person’s daily nutritional needs. FSSAI and Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) is going for a strategic shift in collaboration with development partners like TATA Trusts, GAIN, PATH, WFP, World Bank and NI and is rallying stakeholders across government, industry, food businesses, development partners, scientists, and academia to come together. Ministry of Women and Child Development and The Ministry of Human Resource Development of Government of India has also started to block the far-reaching effects of such menace. These are all encouraging steps taken by various organisations and the government but considering the magnitude of the problem needs further supplementation.
Milk in India, with its high volume of production, widespread distribution network, low budget affordability and all-around acceptability in the daily food habit can be singled out as the best vehicle in India to combat Vitamin A and D deficiency mainly for three specific reasons.
Firstly, it has been successful since long in other countries. Globally mandatory milk fortification legislation was first introduced in 1935. Currently, there are 14 countries that have mandated milk fortification. Among these 14 countries, 11 countries fortify milk with both vitamins A and D. Secondly, there has been a rapid rise in aggregate consumption of milk, from 178 grams per day in 1990-91 to 337 grams per day by 2015-16. This sustained growth in the availability of milk and milk products for a growing population offers an excellent opportunity to address vitamin A and D deficiencies through fortification. Thirdly, fortification of milk is highly affordable and cost-effective, costing less than 3 paise per litre. The dairy industry is equipped to fortify milk and does not require any additional investment.
The need is now to fortify three axes awareness in regards to ensure supply, enforceable regulatory mechanism and effective consumer awareness. Businesses are basically shapers of demand, often for unhealthy foods, it is time now to steer the demand for the wellness of the people in India.
We firmly pledge to promote Vitamin A and D fortification of Milk for fighting against the silent epidemic of micronutrient malnutrition and taking a step forward towards food and nutrition security and building a healthy and developed India.