Advertisements are MisLeading!
Was browsing Youtube and came across this Advertisement,
I saw this on Doordarshan way back in 90’s as a kid. As I was growing in a small place cramped with 5 sisters, Aai & Baba and my grandfather we were exposed to Television via Pandey Kaka who owned a colour TV at that point of time. He was one of the few well to do guys in our area. He used to drive a Luna, had a colour TV with a cable connection, a fridge and many other luxuries which were a dream for many in the slum. His sons Sameer, Sagar and Sudhir also had their own Video Game set which use to make me jealous … Anyways, I made them friends.
My father always strived to give his 6 children the best of what he can. I think he gave us more than his best. He use to be scared of my visits to Pandey Kaka’s house. I came up with a lot of ideas from there. I wanted us to have a Color TV, Fridge, a Luna and many other things. I use to cry like a baby for it and my father had to bare with my tantrums. I think my father must have realised at some point of time that he should not have had a boy, I made his life hell at times. With the limited income as a tailor and feeding 8 people at home entertaining my demands was a big challenge for him.
One day I came across an Ad about a mosquito eater. We had a dengue/malaria outbreak in our area, so the corporation cleaner use to come with the smoke machine and powders to spread it in our area. I was amazed at the capability of the machine to jump and eat the mosquito. I felt this can be a great addition to our house. Honestly, we didn’t need it but you know how childhood is. I was fascinated by it, it was my Hogwarts at that point of time. My curiosity always put forward challenges to my Father. Every day for the next 2 weeks, I cried and cried and wanted him to buy that machine. My father worked at a tailoring shop at that point of time and didn’t earn a lot of money so it was a challenge for him to buy this useless machine instead of saving money.
So after 2 weeks, he finally gave up. I don’t know how he managed to buy it but he did. He bought the “AllOut Mosquito Eater”. I was so happy. I don’t know whether he borrowed, loaned but my father made things happen. Anyways, he bought it. I didn’t allow my sisters, mother or anyone to touch it. I called my friends Sunny, Andya and others to have a look at my new possession. I was so so proud of it.
Ok, so I had to show off my possession to my friends who didn’t have it. So when they came and sat. I switched on the Mosquito Eater and we all patiently waited for it to jump and eat a mosquito. We waited, we waited. I convinced them that we need mosquitos for it to jump and eat and there weren’t any mosquitos in my house. We took it to Andya’s house where he thought there were enough mosquitos for the machine to eat. We went and I switched it on but the machine didn’t jump and eat the mosquitos. There was a small bulb that lit up and a smell that spread once the switch was on. I didn’t want to get embarrassed in front of my friends so came up with something. It only jumps in the night. I took the machine to my place.
For the next couple of days and nights, my lunch, dinner & breakfast all use to happen in front of the machine. My eyes waited to see that crowning moment when the machine would jump and eat a mosquito but it never happened. I even cried in front of father that you brought a wrong machine.
My father being a storyteller, came up with a story regarding the machine. He told me that the machine is a legend and can’t be seen by human eyes. It only jumps when humans are not around.
I was convinced with his argument. I shared the same story with my friends and they too were convinced. I remember my sister laughing when I was telling this story. She looked at me like I was an idiot. I recall that. I recall how the advertisement was misleading and lead to my tantrums and my father suffering as a end result of it. But I loved how this ended up giving me a story, my father’s story about the machine and the legend.
I am planning to share this legend with my kids :) The story of the machine that jumps and eats mosquitos and can’t be seen by human eyes!