Why Jan 25 is special

On January 25, five decades ago, my parents got married. Today they celebrated it by sharing a biryani lunch with their aunt, my granny's sister, at her residence. I am glad they did something different from the routine.

On Jan 25, 1972, the Ruler of Sharjah HH Sultan Al Qasimi, ascended the throne of the emirate. We might soon be witnessing some interesting events to celebrate the golden jubilee.

The kachcha parking in front of our residence has been cleared of the nearly 500 vehicles in preparation for something big (the last few vehicles that didnt exit on time being towed away). Each day we watch the workers make progress with building a gallery and marking car parking slots. 

A kachcha (raw) parking is one that is unauthorised and unpaid, so a good many people wanting to save money park there, though even authorised parking is free from 10 pm to 8 am except on Friday/public holidays when it is free the whole day. Kachchas however can be uneven, rocky and dusty ground. We park ours in a pakka parking, that is legal and run by Afghans. Most new buildings here have 4-5 floors of parking available for an annual fee. Our building is over two decades old, and hence no parking in the building.