Old posts

Found a couple of very old posts once published in a now obsolete blogging site:

Of mosquitoes and rebirth

 In the very last biology class that we had in school, we learnt about different food chains and their importance in their respective ecosystems. The teacher took up several examples, such as crows, fishes and algae and explained how extinction of each would affect the environmental balance. That evening, on my way home from school, I noticed civic authorities out on streets, trying to implement a mosquito eradication programme and I wondered briefly if extinction of mosquitoes would harm the environment in any way. Since I never attended a biology class again, I still do not know the answer.

 I have not, however, bothered myself too much with that question because I have since realised that it is quite impossible to annihilate mosquitoes. They are everywhere, Kachhuas and GoodKnights notwithstanding. Tending our itchy limbs has become so much of a habit with us, that often we are not aware of the action. Take for example, a friend of mine who was coming out of a posh restaurant when I bumped into him. While greeting me with a broad smile, he was nursing what was distinctly a mosquito bite on his arm. Yet, when I asked him if there were mosquitoes inside the restaurant, he was taken by surprise and couldn’t recall seeing any.

 Another friend once proclaimed that there were no mosquitoes at her place. A visit to her place confirmed this. I felt relieved as well as a bit envious of her good luck. A week later she was in hospital with malaria.

 Why do all our efforts to destroy mosquitoes always result in failure? If you are a believer in the theory of karma and rebirth, my aunt has a plausible answer: All evil people are reborn as mosquitoes. (It is God’s way of giving them a chance to do what they like doing best – sucking other people’s blood.) That is why the number of mosquitoes never seems to dwindle.

A corollary to this theory could be: All animal and insect species that are on their way to extinction are probably being reborn as humans. This could explain why more and more humans are demonstrating animal behaviour.

A wail of a time

(Note: This was written when Kingfisher Airlines let you watch TV on domestic flights)

 

I hate early morning flights, because it means losing several hours of sleep. That morning I was particularly tired and determined to get two full hours of sleep during the flight to Kolkata from Delhi. I did not carry a book and deliberately refused a window seat so as not to be tempted to look at the amazing sights I always lose myself in. The window seat, therefore, went to a lady who had a baby in her arms. Now babies, you will agree, are a great pastime, especially during a journey. You can either watch their antics or perform some antics yourself to get their attention and hope to be rewarded with a smile; and if a baby can talk a little, well, nothing can be more amusing.

 

Thankfully, this baby seemed to be asleep. I too made myself comfortable and shut my eyes. But no sooner did sleep come to me than the baby gave out a shrill shriek and my eye lids flew open. When I gathered my wits, I stared at the little body contorted with rage. You had to be there to believe that the little thing could shriek so loud. Not that he could sustain the loudness and pitch for long, and so the shriek was replaced by a heart-wrenching baby wail. Needless to say, the mother did everything in her power to quieten him; the stewardesses offered every help, but to no avail. The little minx continued to wail, without a break. 

Unable to be of any help, I desperately wanted to put on my headphones, shut off the wailing with the mindless noise of a TV channel  and make the best of what remained of the journey. But that would be bad manners and the mother would feel embarrassed. On an impulse, I switched on the TV in front of the baby and then, a miracle happened. The wail suddenly stopped and the little one stared, mesmerised, at the pretty face of one of our Bollywood actresses on the screen. At the sudden silence, people turned to look in our direction and I beamed at everyone, but … only a couple of minutes, and the wailing began anew. Was I stupid enough to imagine that TV could hold a kid’s attention for long? 

A few more minutes passed, before he gave us another break. This time too, it was the same lady’s face on the TV screen! Soon enough, the face was replaced by another and our little hero resumed his wailing. When this happened a third time, we (the mother and I) realised that it was too much of a coincidence to be ignored. The little brat was totally in the actor’s power. 

Well, one cannot expect a TV channel to continuously beam one particular face, however pretty. For who knows, there may be baby girls out there somewhere, wailing their lungs out for a glimpse of Salman Khan or Akshay Kumar. (Some people are born with an eye for pretty faces, huh?) Luckily, someone had the wit and the intelligence to pass on to us a post-card size picture of the actress in demand. Believe it or not, the baby eagerly took it and clutched it so tightly that he almost crushed a part of it in his baby-fist. As there was no reason to cry any further, and as so much crying had probably tired him, the baby soon fell asleep.  

I looked at my watch – only about half an hour’s journey left. With no time to sleep, no book and no window, there was only one thing left for me to do – turn on the TV and watch Bollywood faces.