The year gone by was the global year of hope against hope. The year 2022 is hoped to be the harbinger of fresh, renewed vigour, enthusiasm, energy, and peace to lead humanity to a more meaningful existence on planet Earth and beyond as suggested so poetically by the hopeful pose of Ms Sandhu, the Miss Universe 2021, her left hand raised up signifying Mother Universe's everlasting divine protective cover over huan/huwoman/human race, a bouquet of fresh flowers held firmly in her right hand signifying perpetual blossoming and fragrance of life, a wide smile and shining eyes signifying this amazing race's everlasting hopes come what catastrophes may...!The year 2021 was markedly a good news of hope for women. There was visibly an enhanced level of awareness of gender parity, equality, equity, women’s health, girl education, feminism, and rights issues.
Even the misogynistic religious hardliner fundamentalist Taliban regime in Kabul had to undertake few welfare measures for women, though much meaningful remains to be done on this front.
Social media was abuzz with blitzkrieg campaigns aimed at sensitizing netizens on gender issues. This was a happy departure from preceding years of low voltage, low impact campaigns.
2021 was also the year of hope to decimate mercurial dangerous Corona-19 virus. Humanity succeeded to a large extent.
Equally was the unpardonable failure to learn from big follies made in the year 2020 that had seen unprecedented
scale of unpreparedness to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, and consequential human deaths on a huge unimaginable global scale. New variants kept scientists on their toes. Corona-19 mutations saw Delta and Omicron variants that continued to infect humans at a much faster pace inspite of being relatively weaker than their predecessors in keeping with the scientific theory that each successive mutation is weaker than their predecessor.
The year of hope against hope had begun with a bright ray of hope in the form of emergence of Covid-19 vaccines namely Pfizer, Covishield, and others. Yet the hope didn’t pick up full steam, for humans demonstrated uncanny streak of unlearning the past lessons.
Wise words of scientists and researchers to speed up immunization fell on deaf ears of most government authorities. Immunization wasn’t taken up on an unprecedented higher scale and with a faster speed that it had called for in many geographies.
Dr Swaamee Aprtemaanandaa Jee and other scientists had alerted the Indian government in advance, to undertake time-bound speedy immunization program to beat the scourge of Covid-19. However, government apathy saw
Corona-19 virus gain the upper hand. No wonder there were thousands of Covid-19 related avoidable deaths in April and May, 2021 in India with health structure having almost collapsed under pandemic pressure. Central government did try to mitigate it by imposing the Corona curfews besides taking up the biggest program in the world to handout free rations to the poor and needy during lock downs. It was too late by then. Hospitals cried badly for Oxygen cylinders, and allied medical equipments.
Visuals of abandoned bodies of Covid-19 deads floating in Ganga River and lying on its banks, not to mention cremation of deads in mass pyres shook the conscience of humanity unlike anytime before.
The West too had its share of anguish, pain, and grief. Appalling instances could be seen of hospitals having run out of beds for Covid-19 patients. Covid-19 deads had to wait for their coffins to find final resting place in graveyards that ran out of space to accommodate more. Although Western photographer chose to keep her camera focused on the Indian subcontinent rather than their own home.
Countries like the USA and the United Kingdom set an example worthy of emulation by immunising speedily the major chunk of their population.
The year saw unparalleled political drama in many parts of world. Indian government accepted the demands of demonstrating farmers only after a full year had passed and hundreds of farmers had died. Uttar Pradesh government announced the recruitment of teachers only after nearly four years of protests by citizens had passed and the state elections approached.
One fails to understand why government authorities waste precious public resources to quell peaceful democratic protests and make citizens suffer for long before accepting their demands. Climate and deforestation remained vexing issues. Poverty-stricken nations of Africa, and South America continued hogging their share of limelight.
We at the Aatmeeyataa Patrekaa do hope the new year 2022 shall transform into a golden watershed moment with Midas touch for humanity to lead it out of deep pothole of Covid-19 disruption.
A year that shall lead humanity to the light and fresh breathing air at the end of dark Covid tunnel. A year resonating with scientific innovations for an equitable prosperous life for all.
A dynamic year that shall enable humanity to build on the gains made in 2021, and not squander them away in petty quarrels or disputes amongst nations. Above all, a year that shall ultimately bring in a paradigm shift in international relations to foster sustainable peace, mutual respect, care, and immortal love...!
- Sujata Kumari,
Chief Editor &
Editorial Team-Incharge,
Aatmeeyataa Patrekaa
(Fotos: Courtesy of all those who've made these fotos publicly available on social media free of cost)
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