Mothers in India follow the centuries-old practice of applying Kaala Teeka (Black Dot) to their

children with a belief that it wards-off the evil eye. Mortein reformulated the traditional Teeka by

infusing a natural mosquito repellent and created Suraksha Ka Teeka. Also, its design replicated the look and feel of the traditional Teeka.

It was made available to mothers through various touch points by approaching them at places where they usually bought the traditional Teeka. Thus, it stayed true to the centuries-old tradition and brought about a change.

As per the Global Fund 2020-22 Report, Malaria is one of the major public health problems in India. With children 5 times more vulnerable to this disease, their cases were witnessing a sudden

outbreak - especially in the Bareilly district of India. The district accounted for 50% of the malaria

cases in the biggest state of India, Uttar Pradesh. Hence, Bareilly became the number one priority

for Mortein, a trusted name in household insecticide, to act and achieve India's goal of being

Malaria-free by 2030.

Instead of using modern science to combat this threat, mothers continued applying two Black Dots

(Kaala Teeka) on children every day. There’s a strong belief amongst Indian mothers that applying 2 Teeka (black dots) will protect their children from all harm and ward-off the evil eye.

In India, mothers have been applying the black dot (Kaala Teeka) on the forehead and ankle of their children every day. It was more than a habit, it was a traditional practice, rooted in the strong belief that the black dot wards-off the evil eye. This belief had stemmed from the Mahabharata, an almost 2400-year-old revered book of Hindu religion. It finds mention of a group of inauspicious goddesses called Matrikas. Who were believed to have malicious intent towards newborns and applying the Kaala Teeka would repel the evil Matrikas. Over generations, a belief grew that applying it wards-off evil.

This insight inspired us to develop a solution that could help mothers keep away the evil of malariacausing mosquitoes. A solution that respected their beliefs and turned an age-old tradition to fight the contemporary evil, malaria.

Applying 2 Kaala Teeka (black dots) to protect children from the evil-eye is an age-old practice in

Indian households. The mention of this is also found in the 2400-year-old Mahabharata, the most

revered book in Hindu religion. But the modern evil, malaria, was now threatening the health of

children, and mothers were unable to find an absolute way to protect their little ones. So we used

the old-tradition that mothers follow everyday and converted it into a life-saving solution.

We reformulated the traditional Kaala Teeka and infused it with natural oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, a

natural mosquito repellent. Two dots of which would help provide protection against the evil-eye, and also create a mosquito repelling perimeter around the entire child. It was developed to look and feel the same as the traditional Teeka. Its pack was designed using Aipan folk art, as it itself is

considered to ward-off the evil-eye

The data from the Global Fund Report and WHO showed us the sad reality of malaria in India. The studies of the National Institute of Health helped us gather information about the state of malaria cases in various parts of India. Through which we were able to shortlist Bareilly district that accounted for almost 50% of cases in the biggest state of the country. We focused on children, as they were 5 times more vulnerable to malaria. The Indian Census Data helped us ascertain the number of children, mothers and households in Bareilly we wanted to approach.

The mothers of these children became our primary audience. We engaged with them at multiple

strategic touchpoints like their houses, local markets, village squares, etc.

The actionable call was to use Suraksha Ka Teeka, apply it just like the traditional Kaala Teeka, one on the forehead, one on the ankle.

After months of research and analyzing the making of the traditional Kaala Teeka, the Mortein

Advanced Research Lab devised the right formulation to infuse into the traditional Teeka to make

the Suraksha Ka Teeka. Lemon Eucalyptus oil, a natural mosquito-repellent, was used to create it.

An on-ground awareness program was launched which was spearheaded by the brand’s volunteers and local health workers. We deployed a door-to-door distribution campaign to reach the product directly into the hands of mothers. Also, an educational program was deployed for maximum reach. The traditional baby Maalish (massage) Ladies were used to reach out to mothers at their homes.

The product was manufactured in December 2022, following which the initiative was launched in the Bareilly district of India. The brand would soon deploy this innovative solution across multiple

districts and areas in India which have high occurrences of Malaria cases

In Bareilly, the activity resulted in 4380+ children being protected from malaria, over 750 families

impacted and garnered 97% adoption rate among mothers after the initial distribution drive. The

important aspect was that mothers across all villages preferred to use the Suraksha Ka Teeka over the traditional Kaala Teeka.

This new product helped brand Mortein establish the position of an expert in household mosquito

repellents. The Suraksha Ka Teeka ensured protection to not just children but built hope for their

families too. For families, every healthy child meant that an entire generation was protected. Now,

children were able to thrive healthily, without any threat to their lives. It also saved them from other

fatal mosquito borne diseases.

In India, mothers have been applying the black dot (Kaala Teeka) on the forehead and ankle of their children every day. It was more than a habit, it was a traditional practice, rooted in the strong belief that the black dot wards-off the evil eye. This belief had stemmed from the Mahabharata, an almost 2400-year-old revered book of Hindu religion. It finds mention of a group of inauspicious goddesses called Matrikas. Who were believed to have malicious intent towards newborns and applying the Kaala Teeka would repel the evil Matrikas. Over generations, a belief grew that applying it wards-off evil.

This insight inspired us to develop a solution that could help mothers keep away the evil of malaria causing mosquitoes. A solution that respected their beliefs and turned an age-old tradition to fight the contemporary evil, malaria.