Climate change has finally caught up with us.
The year 2022 was the Annus Horribilis, a year of disasters and misfortunes that are continuing into this year with the earthquake in Turkey.
Where do I begin?
Corona of course. Where did it first appear? Truly in a laboratory in Wuhan in China. For months China vigorously denied that the disease had started in Wuhan. The doctor who found it was hounded, got corona and died. The WHO, which gets huge donations from China, was equivocal in its answers.
The killer disease spread like a global fire. For almost two years the world almost came to a halt. To this day a cure for the disease has not been discovered.
CLIMATE CHANGE: This has finally caught up with us. Many attempts have been made to take worthwhile decisions. The industrialized countries have their own agenda. The almost non-functioning of United Nation resolutions are blatantly ignored.
Floods in the US, Germany, Chile, Pakistan, China, New Zealand, Indonesia and India have destroyed crops, homes, hospitals and universities. Large parts of Africa have had no rains for several rainy seasons. The canals in Venice have dried up, while the river Po is not short of water.
Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic and Antarctic, the Himalayas, all are getting less and less of snow, while America, Europe and Canada are getting an excess. Lakes and river are drying up in America. Temperatures are in some parts rising—in Rajasthan’s Shekhawati the mercury goes above 50 degrees centigrade. In Delhi, it seems that the middle of March has arrived. The weather pattern in America is changing. Do something about this, not about jaunts to the moon.
UKRAINE: Who started the war? Russia of course. Why? Because Ukraine wants to become a member of NATO, which so far has not given the green signal. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, men, women and children have died. Who will take care of the orphans—no mother to embrace, father killed on the battlefield. A posthumous medal is awarded. Who will receive it? This is war, this is war, they say. We know. But here M/s Putin and Zelenskyy learnt no lessons from 1939-1945. Obviously not. But we have.
For me it is a matter of immense pride that India has, never started a war. Skirmishes are not war.
The other night the President of Ukraine said at a press conference that Ukraine will win the war against Russia in 2023. Are you being facetious or serious?
AFGHANISTAN: Brutality comes with ease to the Taliban, not the Afghans. One Taliban leader told a world famous lady correspondent, “Educating girls is not in our culture.” Some culture. In which chapter of the Holy Quran is this to be found? I am sure there exist good and compassionate Taliban. Why do they wish to live in the 17th century?
Afghanistan is geographically so strategically located that people should made aware of the geography of the country.
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For the past two or three years there has been an increase in the demolition of temples, churches, mosques and other religious places. These barbarous acts are now being committed from Australia to America. A man wearing a turban is beaten up. By whom? Unfortunately by hoodlums and a whole people are condemned for the crime.
The increase in the shooting of schoolchildren and university students is frequent in the US, so is police’s brutal misconduct on the rise.
In India we are indifferent to poverty, dirt, unrighteousness and unpunctuality.
If a man or woman is hit by a car, falls down, with blood pouring from various parts of his/her body, no cyclewallah, no motorcycle rider or car driver will stop to help the injured lady, fearing that the police might implicate them. Such, I gather are our laws.