The Great Mosquito Hunt

India is a country steeped in ritual. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, and Jains each have their own set rites and rituals that dictate the rhythm of life in India.

In keeping with the character of the country my life has taken on a sort of ritual rhythm as well, of a more secular and pragmatic nature. Foremost among these rituals is the Great Mosquito Hunt. The Great Mosquito Hunt takes place every night at about 2am. Having gone to sleep around midnight it is usually about one to two hours before the half dozen freshly inflicted welts wake me from my slumber. I wake up scratching an arm, back, or neck and cursing my winged assailants.

Now begins the hunt. The lights come on and the search begins. I scour the walls of my meager dormitory, littered with the remnants of hunts past. Sometimes a flying a silhouette catches my eye, and I track the beast till it alights on a curtain, wall or piece of furniture. Then the age old conflict of man versus bug draws to a climax. With speed and precision I dispatch my quarry and peace is again restored, the hunt concluded.

Mosquitoes are a serious problem in India, given that they can and often do carry Malaria. Travelers like me can take anti-malaria medications, but locals not so. One of my colleagues, an Indian women who went to Wharton, was out for a month with Malaria, totally not cool. Government attempts at large-scale mosquito eradication have meet with the same fate as most government projects in India, total failure. Technology and enterprise have stepped in with solutions to the mosquito problem including a product called Godrej GoodNight, which is manufactured by the parent company that I work for. GoodNight is a low dose pesticide in liquid form which is released with heat generated by a unit that plugs into the wall, sort of a citronella candle on steroids. Alas, the unit in my room has been totally ineffective in keeping the bugs away. Maybe I have a dud, maybe the mosquitoes have grown immune. Whatever the case may be it appears that for the next month the Great Mosquito Hunt will continue to be a part of my India ritual.