Published on 11:00 PM, December 27, 2022

SATIRE

Boyfriend finally able to meet girlfriend from Uttara thanks to Metro Rail

Design: Syeda Afrin Tarannum

Couples across the capital breathe a sigh of relief after the announcement of the metro rail's inauguration since they would finally be able to meet their loved ones for the first time. With Airport traffic no longer an obstacle between the two ends of Dhaka, emotional scenes are expected on the inauguration day as long-distance internet couples are ready to recreate their own version of the popular Bollywood film Veer-Zaara.

Rupban Zaberi had met the love of her life on Facebook when the pandemic peaked in mid-2020. Bored and frustrated with the lockdown, Rupban had nothing better to do with her time but to convince herself to fall in love.

"Being a girl in Uttara, it's always tough to find true love. As far as I'm concerned, my soulmate is probably stuck in the Airport traffic or lost in the Tongi smog," Rupban spoke about her romantic struggles as an Uttara resident, "I settled with my boyfriend Shadman during the pandemic because he was the only one desperate enough to commit to a girl he'd probably never meet. We've been together ever since! We watch movies, have our dinner and go to sleep together. We've technically been on the same video call for about 8765 hours now."

"Just when I thought I'd never meet the love of my life in person, authorities declared that metro rail was going operational," continued Rupban, "I'd heard the myth from my grandparents but Shadman and I had given up hope. But now with the metro rail operational, I'd finally be able to meet the person I have announced as my soulmate in my Instagram stories and trust me, that's as official as it gets! People have judged me for dating a guy I never met but I want to remind my haters that love is blind. Because if it weren't, most Bangladeshi men would've been single."

"We celebrated our second anniversary a few weeks back," said Shadman, Rupban Zaberi's boyfriend, about meeting his lover for the first time, "I'd do anything for my Rupban: fetch her a piece of the moon, abandon all my family privilege or worse, moisturise my skin! But crossing the Airport Road traffic jam is where I draw the line. I grew up in a strict Bengali household and studied in an all-boys school. As you can assume, I'm pretty needy for affection since I wasn't shown any by the people around me. But even someone like myself who approached 82 girls in the first month of lockdown wouldn't be desperate enough to cross the airport traffic just to meet their soulmate. Thanks to the metro rail project, I'll be the first one in my school to meet a real-life girl in person!"

However, it's not just pre-pubescent internet lovers. Metro rail is reportedly going to unite hundreds of married couples as well. Weddings through video calls have been a part of our culture since Skype days. During the COVID outbreak, hundreds of weddings took place all across the country through Zoom calls since the grooms from Uttara were unable to cross the airport road traffic. But with the metro rail going operational, 'Covid couples' across Dhaka will finally be able to meet the person they're supposed to harass for the rest of their lives.

Meanwhile, restaurants in Uttara are prepared to capitalise on the reunification of these long-lost lovers and finally make some money out of it.

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