Like they do it undergrounds

Car meets are a special place for automobile enthusiasts to get together, talk about cars, check each other's rides and often learn a thing or two. Due to the raging pandemic, the car scene of Dhaka has been dormant for about two years. As the world opens up, for the sake of the car community, Sami Zaman and Riza Mostafa stepped up to organise a car meet of their own in Mirpur with the help of the Mirpur DOHS car community.

They were inspired to create a safe space for the enthusiasts at the Mirpur DOHS Shopping Complex basement parking lot since, for auto festivals, underground parking lots are always preferred. The event 'DOHS Underground Meet' took place on 25 March 2022 from 3 pm to 6 pm. It was a private event where most of the locally known drivers and cars were present. They were able to control the environment professionally and avoided reckless drivers doing stunts that endanger people around them.

This is the third Mirpur DOHS underground meet and is the biggest one yet. The first two events were exclusive to the DOHS car enthusiasts but this third iteration was open to all. This meet may have been small compared to the usual Dhaka Motor Show, but it was more wholesome and controlled with all the known people since it was completely exclusive.

According to Sami Zaman and Riza Mostafa, the main purpose of the event was "to have a chill, fun and thrilling car meet that everyone has been missing for two years since the pandemic. We decided to build a space for the enthusiasts, to escape from the harsh reality and enjoy a small event with a common love for cars. This event had a positive impact on the automotive scene and the Mirpur DOHS car community."

In the opinion of one of the head organisers, Sami said, "The best parts of the event were when tons of exciting different cars were modified to fit the owner's preference and the diversity of the cars that showed up. It felt amazing to see all petrol heads gathered under one roof and appreciating their fellow enthusiast's build." Riza, the other head organiser, said, "The entire event was pretty special to me, and if I had to pick the best moment, it would be when all the 90s JDMs gathered in one corner and a lot of people were admiring the cars. That scene felt surreal to me because I am a JDM classic enthusiast as well."

The planning and organising took weeks of effort, but the team managed to pull off the event with great success, making attendants and fans look forward to DOHS Underground Meet 4.0. An event like this will indefinitely inspire others to hold private car meets of their own with local friends and fellow enthusiasts, sharing their love for vehicles with stories of the builds they are working on or the history of their cars. In the end, the bonding of car communities coming together in Dhaka gives us hope for a better future and amazing shows to look forward to.

 Photo: Omar Ali Rahman