Super Vehicles On Our Roads

If you had the opportunity of travelling our dilapidated roads and highways, you already know what a moon ride really means. If you have not yet had that nightmarish experience, consider yourself lucky! However, your luck is about to run out sooner than later because the next Eid is two months away and you can't just live indoors without travelling.

Lamenting about the pitiable condition of our roads is a futile exercise because they wouldn't be repaired until the dry season. Meanwhile, don't expect our cars, 'murir tin' buses or even their more luxurious counterparts to survive on the roads for much longer. So soon enough our entire road transportation system will collapse if we continue to use our vehicles on the battered roads.

That essentially means that without shouting about what could have been done to our roads, we should instead concentrate on inventing vehicles that can adapt to travelling on the cracked and potholed roads. Besides we also need vehicles that can get us out of jams especially in Dhaka.

As usual, our superheroes come to our rescue. Apparently, transportation is an area of concern for them too! So despite none of them living in Bangladesh and all of them having superpowers, most of them still require a 'supervehicle' for mobility.

Thundertank
The ThundeTank is the most powerful vehicle used by the Thundercats on Third Earth with attached goodies including a drill, claws, a crushing mouth, and an avant-garde defence system. It runs on a fuel called thunderalium, but we're pretty sure it can be converted to CNG like everything else. The ThundeTank has prior experience of travelling on rough terrains and it is also able to carry many passengers. Reckless drivers will think twice before hitting the Thundetank because, well, it's a freaking tank! And the cherry on top is the ability to claw over vehicles in front, making it the ultimate answer to traffic jams.

Turbo Mole
It would be seriously wrong if this list did not feature vehicles made by the Swat Kats, those two genius mechanics who had a thing for making of advanced combat rigs. The Turbo Mole is a subterranean vehicle used to drill underground built by Swat Kats using discarded military parts and weapons from the salvage yard. Drilling under Dhaka would of course, help us make our own tunnels through which we can travel in the Turbo Mole, thus eliminating the need to use our dilapidated and jammed roads altogether. However, to completely tap into the potential of the Turbo Mole, the carrying capacity of this vehicle and its speed needs to be increased.

Hoverkat
This is a militarised hovercraft used by the Swat Kats. It travels at high speed and floats over the road. In jammed roads of Dhaka, it can float over other vehicles and escape the traffic quagmire entirely. Since it also has high carrying capacity, it has the potential to prosper in Bangladesh.

Batmobile
Of the many forms of Batmobile, we are talking about the one Batman used in the most recent Batfilms. It provides all the benefits of the ThunderTank but is also very fast, able to clock a top speed of 110 mph. What makes it special though is its ability to make ramp-less jumps so you can actually fly over tailbacks or stretches of potholed roads saving you considerable time and suffering. Even if you are unable to make such jumps out of jams, the Batmobile is still capable of providing you with a single-seat escape vehicle called Batpod. The Batmobile's cabin has space for a driver and passenger and this is one area of the Batmobile that needs to be improved if it is to become a success on our roads. Unless of course you are going to Ashulia with your girlfriend, in which case it's perfect.

We need to build these vehicles because there are simply no other ways to ameliorate the current situation. Superheroes have saved us on numerous occasions and this time their vehicles can do what our ministers can only talk about - provide safe, secure and relatively comfortable means of transportation for our battered roads.

By Nayeem Islam

Tales of Black Kingdom

We didn't know what we were fighting for. We never knew. It was almost as if we suddenly found ourselves on the battle field. To us everything was black and white. It was always a bloody battle. But it was never personal. We just had to win; we had nothing against the enemies. It was not about conquering more land or even revenge. No, nothing that silly. It was plain old war for the heck of it. And this is our story.

The King's Tale
It was the longest battle we have ever been in. Seemed eons had passed since they made the first move. Time had slowed; they were slow in responses, quietly thinking over the next move. Half my soldiers were dead. My queen had taken to the battlefield for we were a warrior race and everyone fought. One of my castles had fallen. The time had come to send in the Black Knight. The horizon shimmered.

The Trudging Soldier
Legends speak of the edge of our world. They say whoever makes it to the end passes to a magical land and gain unimaginable powers. The journey is perilous and only few have ever make it. Masses disappeared around me as they were cut down. But it was too late to turn back.

The Last Knight
I hear they call me the Black Knight now. The only one left of the knights to fight for the king. They fear me, and as I ride through the lands slaying whosoever comes in my path, I realise I must die soon. It's not easy being the last of the knights. But fear, yes that is the key. For the king…

The Queen
The castle has fallen, all but one knight dead. The people die as the king sits on his throne. I must put an end to this wretched war. I have sent the knight to the front. To get slain. The soldier was the easy part just whisper a few old legends and he will gladly go to the ends of the world. Now to the only hope. News arrives of the fall of the knight. They have taken the bait.

The knight was attacked from three sides. He didn't have a chance. But as he went down he took one of them with him. Meanwhile the road to the edge lay open. The soldier hurried on. As he stepped on the edge, he found himself getting stronger. It seems the legends were true…

A new knight had arisen bearing the Black armor in the north. The queen had led her troops from the south. They did not stand a chance. The white army was outflanked. It was only later they understood that the Black Knight was a bait. And they had nothing more to do as a voice from the sky said “checkmate.”

By Moyukh