2020 Why So Cruel???

2020 so far has been one hell of a ride! It’s been messy, difficult, crazy. This year has been full of surprises that no one, not a single one, has ever asked for. The most unimaginable things have happened. 7 months in and we’ve already been through so much but to be frank, it feels like it’s been going on for half a century.

Do you remember new year’s eve 2019? As the clock struck midnight and you raise your glass to 2020, I’m sure you were very much excited of a brand new decade and a brand new chapter of life with new resolutions & hopes…Instead, 2020 swallowed up those hopes and dreams and so far is terrifyingly horrible. 

2020 began on a hopeful note as all years do. However it transformed into the year that introduced a “new normal” to the world and gave a whole meaning to the phrase “unprecedented times.” The year 2020 is so deadly that even the best meme of the year is a coffin dance. So lets take a look on how 2020 has rocked the world so far. 

Source/ Deutsche Welle

On the very first day of 2020, Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and nearby towns were flooded. Evacuation efforts were hampered by rushing waters and blackouts. The death toll soared up to 66 and forced 400,000 to flee their homes.

Source/ The New York Times

Meanwhile, the Bushfires in Australia raged on. 2020 started with drastic bushfires in New South Wales & Victoria ,Australia. A third state of emergency was called in New south Wales as the bushfires intensified. The deadly wildfires had prompted cities to evacuate and burned nearly 18.6 million acres, killed atleast 34 people, over 1 billion animals perished which included a third of koala population  and drove many species to the brink of extinction. The smoke became another disaster which killed about 400 people. Australia even faced dangerous downpours leading to floods which helped in containing the fire.

Source/ The Economic Times

Then, we nearly had WW3 when the US drone hit Baghdad International Airport and took down Iranian major general, which was followed by Iranian regime unintentionally shooting down the Ukrainian airliner killing all 176 people on board during a series of escalations that nearly brought Iran and US to war with massive protests and threats.

Source/ Fox Sports

Just as the threat of 3rd world war died down the death of Basketball legend sent shockwaves across the entire world.  On January 26, Kobe Bryant, one of the NBA’s all-time-greatest players,his 13 yr old daughter Gianna and seven other Passengers were killed when their helicopter crashed into fog-covered hillside near Calabasas, California.

Source/ The Week

The year also witnessed violence in India’s Capital Delhi. On Feb 23 Communal riots erupted over the CAA in Delhi as many people took to the streets to oppose the CAA and ended up disrupting public order. At least 53 people were killed in the riots.

Source/ CDC

With all this so far we still got to deal with the worst pandemic in recent history. The corona virus pandemic shut down the world. The outbreak of corona virus was first discovered in Wuhan China in Dec 2019. The virus has since then swamped the world.

Source/Getty Images

Italy became the first country to implement a nationwide lockdown. It was then declared as a pandemic by the WHO on March 11. 

On March 25, India imposed the first total lockdown to contain the spread of corona virus which had a great impact on the human lives and the economy. 

Source/ Getty Images

The outbreak of corona virus is one 2020 calamity that has caused significant human sufferings, disruption, paralysed world economy and brought the worst the world has seen in decades. 

Source/New Indian Express 

The cases of Corona infections and deaths are rising by thousands each day. Global Corona virus cases surpass 20 million with over 740000 deaths so far. Along with that many migrants lost their lives, we even lost many frontline corona warriors.

Source/The Telegraph

One of the most awaited sporting events of the year –The  Summer Olympics 2020 was officially cancelled and rescheduled for 2021 due to the corona virus pandemic. This was the first time in the history that the Olympics have been cancelled for something other than war.

Source/Al Jareera

Racial tensions over police brutality in the US reached a breaking point when George Floyd was killed by police officer. Floyd’s last words were ”I can’t breathe.” The killing of a Black man at the hands of a white officer touched off protests against racism and police brutality across the United States and around the world uniting under one refrain: Black lives Matter.

Source/ The Hindu

Plus a major gas leak at the LG Polymers chemical plant in Visakhapatnam on 7th may left 13 people dead, including a child and 800 hospitalized and nearby villages were evacuated. Hundreds fell ill with vomiting and headache symptoms.

Source/India Today

The desert locusts swarmed the northern part of India and left acres of crops destroyed causing huge damage and raising concern over India’s Food security.

Source/ Times of India

At least 20 Indian army personnel,  including a commanding officer, were killed in action in the ongoing Skirmishes between India and China at LAC in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh.

Source/Skymetweather

Other Unfortunate events included The earthquake in Turkey and Caribbean, Taal volcano erupted in Philippines, Cyclone Amphan hit the eastern part of India and left a huge pile of devastation in its tracks, ongoing floods in Brahmaputra River in the state of Assam, Bihar, UP, Kerala and many other states.

Source/ABC News

And the Bad news continues with the massive explosion in Beirut’s port 0n 4th Aug shattered windows more than a mile away and sent a plume of smoke, it was so intense that the blast was felt at least 200km away in Cyprus. It killed at least 137 people, injured at least 5,000 and left dozens missing. 

Source/Euro news
protesters on the streets after the explosion

Some 300,000 other people have been displaced from their homes. 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate a chemical used for fertilizer and as an ingredient in bombs was stored in the Beirut warehouse that was the scene of deadly explosion, authorities say.

Source/Financial Express

Recently, on Aug 7th An Air India Express plane with 191 people onboard, repatriating Indians stranded by the coronavirus crisis skidded off the runway, crashed and broke in two admid heavy rains at Kozhikode International Airport at Calicut, Kerela killing at least 18 people including two pilots, 50 injured, officials say.

Pheww!!!! 

I’m wondering if this year could get any worse and whether what’s passed so far could be a sign of what’s yet to come. A stretch of unfortunate events kicked off the year that will leave a stain on the rest of the year, even if it is to improve. 2020 is truly shaping up to be another record year. I won’t say that it’s the worst year yet but really a rough one, because I feel there is still lot of history left to be made in 2020. And finally there’s the feeling that if we get out of 2020 alive, we’ll have a great story to tell our grandchildren.

Can’t say stay home stay safe because even houses are not safe these days.  So Stay Safe, stay strong, take care of yourself ,your family and friends and pray for the best ….!!!!!