Each New Year is unique but one thing is common among all the inaugural days marking the designated time in eternity. It is the hope eternal, that, peoples in different time zones and climes like to believe, springs from the renewal of belief and confidence they nourish in their bosoms. It is also the expression of the unfulfilled wish list of individuals, communities and nations that drive them to pursue the agendas with renewed vigour. On this count, the years 2020 and 2021 were so nightmarish to the human race that it would have forgotten those worst times in history if it could. But the sufferings, anxiety, apprehension and the overall human disaster are so vast, so deep and so cruel that the physical and mental losses and lacerations peoples everywhere will have to bear for generations. This retrogression of civilisation for two successive years prompts a far greater compulsion for humankind to rekindle hopes that never die. But the beginning does not look particularly auspicious.
This is because the lingering shadow of the pandemic is becoming even longer with the detection of record Covid-19 cases in the world. The fastest ever transmissible variant Omicron poses to be, warns the World Health Organisation, a Covid "tsunami"--- one that is likely to overwhelm health services. Many European countries, the United States of America and Australia, in particular are grappling with the twin threats of Omicron and Delta. Unsurprisingly, this has forced curtailment of Christmas and the year ending celebrations and is sure to limit the New Year's celebration to the minimum not only in those heavily affected countries but also in other countries as well. The sub-microscopic pathogen has poured cold water on the reignited human spirit everywhere. Now the question is, how overwhelming the adverse impact will be.
What is in favour of man, though, is that the spirit burning in his bosom is undefeatable. Even in the darkest period of raging Delta strain, the most rational animal on the planet waged a war against the deadliest virus and to his credit achieved enough preventive measures against its killing power. If the latest mutated strain has been weakened because of the resistance grown in human body, the achievement will prove far greater than it looks. Some experts are confident that the year 2022 will see the disappearance of the pandemic with the virus weakening further.
So far as achievements are concerned, many nations have successfully made quite a turnaround with their economies recovering to a substantial extent. Happily, Bangladesh has, against all odds, been one such country to advance its cause on the major fronts. Its Golden Jubilee year has been amply, if not richly, rewarded by what it has gained in terms of socio-economic progress. There are still pitfalls where equitable share in such gains is concerned. The nation's journey on the road to a developing status has so far been more or less smooth. If things went in full steam, the year 2022 could be spectacular but for the threat from Omicron. Let's hope for the best and expect that people the world over can breathe in a Covid-free environment. While we brace ourselves for difficult days, we must also get ready for welcoming a rewarding and rosy 2022. Happy New Year to all.