We are in the second month of what is settling in to become a long war, and it is worth setting down a few observations.

The first is that nations around the world are preparing their populations for what lies ahead. Australia has made public transport free in Tasmania and Victoria to encourage citizens not to use cars. Egypt requires shops and restaurants to shut at 9.00 pm. The Philippines now has a four-day week, and so does Pakistan. Myanmar uses an odd-even system to keep cars off the road.

Slovenia has imposed a 50-litre limit on fuel purchases, and Nepal has reduced the quantity of gas in LPG cylinders. Thailand’s government has asked people not to wear jackets so that air-conditioners may be run at higher temperatures. Bangladesh has closed universities and introduced planned blackouts (what we used to call 'load-shedding'). South Sudan is also limiting electricity use. Sri Lanka has made Wednesday a public holiday. The list goes on.

In India, there has been no comparable measure yet. This is for two reasons. First, the government appears to believe, though it has not said so explicitly, that there is no real problem. It has suggested that shortages being felt by people are the result of panic, and that if this supposedly irrational panic were to subside, normalcy would........

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