Phineas and Ferb in Bangladesh
A hundred and four days of summer vacation and they knew exactly what to do with them. 'Phineas and Ferb' was one of Disney's most iconic and brilliant creations of all time, full of joy, laughter and not to forget the catchy tunes you would hear in every episode. This innovative and adventurous duo brought a lot of emotion to our lives that cannot be expressed in words. But what if these step brothers and their entire plot was built right here in Bangladesh?
Oh, and for those of you who are thinking, "Aren't you too old to be conceptualising a kids' show in the perspective of our country?" Yes. Yes I am.
We were more or less jealous of the matter that Phineas and Ferb got such a long summer vacation whereas we Bangladeshi school kids hardly got a month off for summer. Having said that, Phineas and gang would find it difficult to plan an exciting and productive summer here thanks to the limited days at hand. Also, since summer is usually the longest vacation they'll get, their parents will probably make them visit relatives they've never heard of.
Summer vacation for the school kids of our country means only one thing. Holiday homework. Our vacation was pretty much ruined thanks to the piles of homework our teachers would joyfully throw at us. But usually, we weren't bothered with those, as we would just keep them piled up till the last moment. Knowing Phineas and Ferb, they would just whip up a new invention that takes care of their homework in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. Despite this, it would still be a nuisance to them for having to deal with homework on a vacation in the first place.
Let's say they manage to adjust their ideas according to the vacation they get. However, can they really get them done? Knowing Bangladeshi parents, the gang would probably be in some coaching centre all summer, trying to digest chapter after chapter, because hey, it's good grades you need not ideas. After all, what's the use of being innovative and smart when you're in a place that values neither? For our convenience, let's just work with the belief that they will manage time from their vacation to work on their ideas.
So it begins. A sunny morning with clear skies. It's a perfect day for the boys to build perhaps a portal bridge to the Northern Village of Dhaka. But to initiate this great project, Phineas needs to say, "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today." But where will he be making that statement? Let me rephrase the whole situation. The boys brought all their crazy ideas to life in the comfort of their backyard. That place has seen more innovation than the rest of the world, that too in just one summer. But here in Bangladesh, houses don't usually have a backyard. So where will the boys start working? You could suggest rooftops, but that won't be enough to support the heavy projects they usually undertake.
Assuming they find a way to get their work started, Phineas and his squad will have construction workers pouring in with all their heavy duty machinery and workforce. As the boys look over their blueprints and the progress of their mighty bridge, someone is watching from the windows of their house. Yep, Candace is off to bust her brothers by snitching about them to her mom. But wait, this time Candace is not alone. It seems the entire neighbourhood is watching.These 'caring' aunties seem interested to pick up their phones and give Phineas and Ferb's mom a call to let her know what her sons are up to. After all, it's their responsibility to keep a watch on what their neighbours' kids are doing. At least Candace can have her own cult of snitches now.
In case you were wondering, "Hey, where's Perry?" he's just in his lair receiving details of his next mission.
"Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated" – you sung that one out loud didn't you? Or at least in your mind you did. Yes, it won't be a full on Phineas and Ferb vibe without the 'Tri-State' area's least successful and most loved evil genius, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. This dim-witted and fairly odd villain will make his existence evident with his office on the top floor of one of the tallest buildings in Bangladesh, most likely in Dhaka. But what evil scheme will he be plotting for the residents of this mega city? Well, given that the plot is set in Bangladesh, we can only assume that he would probably be creating a "traffic-removal-inator" or perhaps an "annoying people away-inator." At this stage, it would be hard to decipher whether his inventions would actually bring more good than harm.
"Doofenshmirtz is off to no good again. Go put a stop to it." Doofenshmirtz's existence can never be felt without the presence of Perry the platypus. Whenever Doofenshmirtz is up to no good, Agent P will always be there to save the day. That is, if Perry can beat the Dhaka traffic to foil his plans. Perry also needs to withstand the summer heat and not sweat his secrets out.
Once the boys are done working on their idea, there is just one more act to play out before curtains fall on another epic summer day. That is, waiting for their work to magically disappear. Usually things would take care of themselves in one way or another. Things won't be any different here. As it is summer, Phineas and Ferb's creation is most likely to be blown away by a Kalbaishakhi storm. Thus, leaving no evidence for Candace and her newly founded cult to bust the boys.
As the day comes to a close, Phineas and Ferb seem to relax and plan ahead for another day of adventure with few last words from Phineas, "Oh, there you are Perry."
Faisal would like to have his own cult of enthusiastic procrastinators. To join him, contact now at abir.afc@gmail.com