When DARKNESS Falls

We've all seen the movies, read the books. The post-apocalyptic dystopia where technology fails (often because of our own fault) and the world is plunged into darkness. Ever wondered what it'd be like if that actually happened?
As those of you who haven't been living under a rock your whole life know, we got a taste of that a few days ago with the country-wide black-out. We Bangladeshis are not known for our composure. So when darkness descended and our cellphone batteries started running out, preventing us  from posting witty, satirical statuses about it on Facebook, we did what we do best. We panicked. Basically all hell broke loose.

A lot of you will also know, a few days before that there was a hoax according to which NASA announced that a solar flare would block out the sun's light for six days in December. Meaning 144 straight hours of night. An unhealthy amount of people believed the hoax and it soon went viral. Many were relieved, and some disappointed, when NASA finally debunked the rumour.

But what if it happened? How would those of us in Dhaka, who thrive on drama and weirdness, deal with a 144-hour night?

The first couple of days would be exciting. How many of us always wanted to go to class at night? And not having the sun barbeque us on the way would be a welcome change. We would have another excuse to take naps at any time of the day. Doomsday preppers and survivalists would have a field day. After practising “I told you so” so many times in front of the mirror, they'd finally get to say it. With canned dal in their backpacks and a crossbow slung across their backs they would go out into the night, only to remember that the internet still works and the new episode of “Walking Dead” is about to come on.

Soon though, the novelty would wear off and we would pass the time by grabbing the nearest person younger than us and telling them about how life was before the 'Flare'. Dads all over the city would be grumbling about the inevitably high electricity bill from the lights staying on longer. Muggers would spill into the city in droves as their working hours are extended. If you're walking down a street and you hear a voice from behind ask you where you live, I suggest you run. Those of us with a darker skin tone would basically be a ninja for six days.

From funny Facebook statuses to blaming the solar flare on the rival political party, I can imagine us Dhaka dwellers taking full advantage of the darkness while complaining about it the entire time. I personally would sleep through the whole thing. What would you do?