Ek macchhar aadmi ko...

If I would have made the movie Men In Black it would have been mosquitoes instead of cockroaches. And if I had the forgiveness of a saint, all the mosquitoes that have bitten me would have been forgiven. Alas, I end up writing a blog protesting against their violence. They have been after me with a vengeance. It’s as if I killed their king and all the mosquito kingdom is up for revenge. Or else my blood tastes sweet and the news has spread in the mosquito kingdom.

Recently we have come to a locality where mosquitoes reside with us. Sometimes I think we have encroached on their land like mining mafias encroach tribal areas and face their anger. A peculiar thing about mosquitoes here is that they always want to suck blood. From the toes to ankles, to the fingers to the forehead they pass making irritating whispers close to the ears. But they never run away or get satiated. God knows how much thirst is there inside their bodies.

They are good friends with each other. If one comes, others follow suit. And they attack your body strategically. No two mosquitoes suck blood from the same part. They place themselves on different parts of your body ready to suck that red liquid which our body forms so laboriously.

Sometimes I think mosquitoes are better than our politicians even though both of them are in the business of sucking blood. Politicians are dishonest, manipulative and most importantly they are well shielded. Mosquitoes, on the other hand, are honest in their vileness, attack in the open and can be killed with bare hands.

One wonders about the irritating sound they make to our ears. Evolution should have done the opposite. Like the flower attracts the bee, the mosquito should be attracted to our body. the least we could have had was a sweet melodious flutter. The mere sound shows that as per evolution humans and mosquitoes are not made for each other.

There was an advertisement long back where a machine swallows up mosquitoes with an equally irritating gulp. The machine looked like a frog preying on any mosquito which fettered close by. I am reminded of the Supreme court of India which can do the same for the politicians. But we just have one of it whereas we need many.

If anyone is benefited from these insects, it is the mosquito repellent companies. Wonder if the mosquitoes can be provided the address of the owners and asked to shift base or at least pay them temporary visits.

Killing a mosquito is another moral dilemma. Can one kill a living being even though the being is sucking one’s blood? I would have at least more than a dozen mosquitoes in my life. It’s a result of a sudden anger on noticing one among their species sitting somewhere on your skin. If the mosquito is attentive one ends up dancing rather than killing! And if you are a fan of Hindi films, you end up a eunuch. Remember Nana Patekar mouthing a dialogue: ‘Ek machchar aadmi ko hizra bana deta hai’
(One mosquito makes a man an eunuch)