Mosquito Menace

It is well past midnight, after a session of Netflix, satellite TV programmes are passé, when one is just about falling asleep, from somewhere in the dark hidden spaces emerges a mosquito with just a single point agenda of not letting you sleep peacefully. It was a long day at work and a good night's siesta is what the doctor has ordered, but man proposes and mosquito disposes and with disdain. Like a kamikaze he just approaches his target, undaunted, a true 'mai ka lal'(mother's son), he even warns the victim of his intent with his gentle humming that here I am, 'catch me if you can'! In a valiant attempt I wave my arms around trying to ward him off, but I am no Prithviraj Chauhan, who could fire off a 'shabd bhedi baan'(an arrow shot only with the sound as an indication of target or 'sonic archery', a modern day acoustic radar picks up the target by its sound waves), so it is just an exercise in futility. During the second World War, Light Machine Guns(LMG) were deployed in anti aircraft role, where they would try and engage any aircraft which came close enough within range could be shot down. I am not sure if it succeeded ever, but probably it did give the ground soldier some psychological support at least. Our arms are typically like these LMGs just firing away for our own satisfaction, not scaring the pilots at all. Hoping against hopes that this show of strength  would deter him and let me drift onto a peaceful sleep which too is beckoning eagerly. 

Alas, mosquitoes are not such gentle souls, who would give in so easily, so this time he or is it a she, even more dangerous with the dengue menace prevalent, approaches from the starboard side of this human sub buzzing gently in the most innocuous and yet menacing way, "You can't just wish me away, I am here to do my job!" In yet another attempt I flail my arms all over trying to scare him/her away . No such luck, s(he) succeeds in the mission, finds his way onto an unprotected part pricks and flies off, leaving me  just swatting myself and in the bargain foregoing my forty winks.

As a kid, I had read a beautiful Japanese story about a very loving couple where the husband was madly in love with his wife, but unfortunately she dies; the desolate husband does penance and obtains a boon to bring her back to life by dropping three drops of his blood on his wife's body. Lo and behold, she resurrects....the husband is gloating and tells her as to how he managed to revive her! After a couple of days, when reminded of his penance again, the wife quite irritated by now, says, "Here take your three drops of blood, piercing her finger with a needle!"; the moment the blood drops fall off, she again turns lifeless. Deeply regretful, she now turns into a mosquito and is still looking for her elusive husband who could give her those three drops of blood...

Mosquito menace has been the bane of soldiers, in fact during the Burma Campaign more lives were lost to malaria than to the Japanese fire. So much so that it was an offence to get malaria for a soldier! Quite ridiculous you would say, well it carried on even post independence, as apparently the soldier either did not use the mosquito net or DMP oil (Dimethyl phthalate, mosquito repellant issued to all soldiers). The oil was a repellant alright , but not for mosquitoes, as they had made their peace with it, humans though rebelled against it. I am also reasonably sure that mosquito nets were designed by that same Japanese lady when she was reborn as a human to seek vengeance against humans. This net effectively puts us in a cage, with our nemesis free to roam around and mock at us, knowing very well that they will manage to sneak in some time in the night, when some part of your body would turn into a Mir Jafar (He betrayed Nawab Sirajudaullah in Battle of Plassey) and would provide them an opening to storm the citadel. Like an army of guerillas mosquitoes will  then swoop down and make a killing. We will be left clapping while the mosquitoes have flown away ...."Sala ek machhar admi ko hijra bana deta hai!"(Damn just one mosquito can turn a man into a eunuch), that is one of Nana Patekar's famous dialogues in a Hindi film. With due apologies to the woke generation lest they take an offence in my usage of this word for transgenders!