2022: The year that was

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s internal and external image goes up by the month.

- K. NATWAR SINGH

How does one assess 2022? In my judgement only by recalling major events.

The Ukraine war began in February 2022, when President Vladimir Putin decided to attack Ukraine. His expectation was that it would be a walkover. He could not have been more wrong.

A popular Ukrainian comedian has become a war hero. The people of Ukraine have shown amazing bravery, patriotic zeal and iron will. The Russian leader has been merciless, inflicting frightful damage all round. It will take at least a decade to rebuild Ukraine.

Climate change is all too visible. From Chicago to Florida, Vancouver to New York, the land mass is six to ten feet under snow. Thousands of flights have been cancelled. Hundreds of passengers are standard at innumerable airports, with shortage of proper shelter, sleeping space, child care and sanitation. Water taps have frozen, any number of towns and localities are without electricity.

In others parts of the world, nature has inflicted the fury of fires and floods. The floodwaters in western Pakistan took agonising weeks to subside. The damage and destruction were unprecedented. In those areas of Pakistan, it seldom rains.