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If anyone who has missed me the most, it has to be the Panvel mosquitoes. Few years ago, when I was doing the initial analysis for my undergrad design dissertation I conducted a snapshot survey in the town. One of the questions asked the respondents to identify the identifying characteristic of the town of Panvel and one of them actually had mentioned mosquitoes. Now, you wouldn’t want that displayed on the ubiquitous welcome banner on the national highway.
Mosquitoes in Panvel have to be seen and lived amongst to understand the full impact of their dominance. Come evening and you must, without fail, close all doors and windows and if by accident you leave one open, you are almost sucked dry by these giant-sized pests. I still remember not only using Good Knight mats in the machine at night but also burning the used mats to drive them away (I wonder if that was carcinogenic).
We must have employed all sorts of anti-mosquito treatments but Darwin
is repeatedly proved right here as the hardy pest evolve to overcome
all forms of control. If you are driven crazy and resort to smacking
them between your palms, you will soon be left with bloody hands
covered in your own blood. Alright, it isn’t that gory but last night I
chased one mosquito all over the room until I had his (I am assuming)
innards splattered all over my palms. I am still smacking a few as I am
typing this. I still remember almost a foot high buzzing column of
mosquitoes just inches above everyone’s head at dusk; even back then it
looked scary. Greenery was offered as an excuse for the presence of
mosquitoes but I guess, nowadays the open drains are self-explanatory.
Now, an interesting tidbit; mosquitoes in Panvel are larger and more in
number as compared to those in New Panvel (across the highway) but
those in the new township are somehow endowed with malaria-inflicting
powers. I guess residents in the older town are rendered immune from
malaria simply by living amongst the mosquitoes. I never once have had
malaria but my college friends living in the hostel in New Panvel
always had an annual bout of the debilitating illness. Or the floating
population in New Panvel might be to blame. I wonder if the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation grants to combat malaria have reached these
parts yet. The town sure could use some.
So people, if you are coming to Panvel and plan to stay after dusk, be
ready to ‘give them a big hand’. They sure can sense fresh blood and
will not hesitate to give you a stinging welcome.
by Patrix | on Tuesday, December 27th, 2005 at 12:00 am | 
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December 27th, 2005 at 1:57 am reply
Aho gaav-wale, good to know someone who actually wrote about “the” menace. It’s kinda died out in Nerul, but seems to have stayed on in the other nodes. :-)
December 27th, 2005 at 2:17 am reply
Hmmm, a highway separating two different scenarious ? Would make for interesting research !
I know, I know, gotta calm the thesis hunter within :)
December 27th, 2005 at 7:42 am reply
Don’t get mosquitos where I live in Bombay but get sucked alive in Bangalore when I visit my rels, and in Delhi and in Chennai. It is a national problem and something that should be tackled on a war footing. Wonder why we don’t talk about this problem more.
December 27th, 2005 at 8:05 am reply
Hey Patrix, I like reading your blog. As for the mosquitoes in panvel, I’m sure they are in comparison to the mosquitoes in Mira Road which are mutating to a level where no pesticides will work on them.
December 27th, 2005 at 8:51 am reply
are you getting bored there??
December 27th, 2005 at 10:14 am reply
Heretic, Actually I remember Nerul having a bad mosquito problem…I wonder how they got rid of them so soon.
Ash, I guess you will be seeing a potential thesis topic in anything remotely public health, eh? But yup, it might be interesting although the evidence is merely anecdotal and based on my observations.
MumbaiGirl, Where exactly do you live in Mumbai that doesn’t have mosquitoes. I was harassed by them in Khar as well.
Cool Guy, I guess its the suburbs and existing greenery compounded by open drains that might be the common factors.
M, wonder what makes you say that?
December 27th, 2005 at 10:29 am reply
And the Mumbai Mosquitos are actually immune to goodnite… Another starnge thing is that they came out in winter….
December 28th, 2005 at 8:58 am reply
Mosquitoes in Navi Mumbai are a different breed altogether! These pesky little things fly out of the most unexpected places and target you. A favorite place is the WC :-)
But on a serious note Navi Mumbai’s mosquitoes are also famous for spreading all kinds of infections. Watch out!
Enjoy your stay there.
Kamla
December 29th, 2005 at 6:33 am reply
The mosquito menace exists in every part of India, in some measure. I’ve been lucky for six months though, as there are virtually no mosquitos in Delhi (at least NOIDA, and ‘chic’ parts of Delhi). Maybe that is because the place is amazingly clean, and that there are no open drains and suchlike.
However, I shall be subject to the menace yet again, for I shall be moving back on Jan 4th. My current Mumbai house does have a mosquito ‘fear factor’. You are done for, if you do not close the windows before sunset. I shall miss the Delhi winter though.
December 31st, 2005 at 12:10 pm reply
Patrix, I live on Bhulabhai Desai Road, otherwise known as Warden Road and Breach Candy. But now in London.
Vulturo-there ARE mosquitos in Delhi. BIG ones. I lived there for four years, in different areas. However, glad to hear they don’t exist everywhere!