That happened naturally as the world was turned on its head towards the beginning of 2020

and the work that had continued quietly at SII for 54 years suddenly became crucial to our
immediate socioeconomic survival. Natasha remembers hearing about the virus for the first
time, fearing for her asthmatic young son and the moment when everything ground to a halt.
The family ended up staying at their farmhouse in Pune, 10 minutes from the factory, and
sprang into action. Adar and Cyrus took a multimillion-dollar gamble on the most promising
vaccines, stockpiling doses before clinical trials had confirmed their efficacy. Natasha,
meanwhile, focused on distributing personal protective equipment, testing kits and food to
those in need. When the first vaccine was approved, she says it felt “incredible”. There was
no time to celebrate then, but she hopes that there will be soon, now that a billion vaccine
doses have been administered across India. 

Their successes have, of course, been coloured by devastating loss. India’s death toll is
nearing half a million, a number which rose sharply during a catastrophic second wave when
the demand for hospital beds and oxygen outstripped supply. “At that point, everyone thought
that we’d passed the worst phase,” Natasha says gravely. “We saw so many people suffer.” It
also meant that SII was directed to prioritise the needs of the nation over its global
commitments, including to Covax, the vaccination initiative which sends supplies to
developing nations. “I always thought the vaccine would be distributed equitably,” she
continues. “Obviously, we’re Indian and whatever the nation needs, it should have, but we
were so worried about what was going to happen in [countries in] Africa, South America and
the places that didn’t have any vaccines because we’d already said we’d send it out. Our
hands were tied. W