A group of about 80 people packed into the majlis of one of the vast family residences in central Sharjah last weekend for a conversation between the house's architect – Ashok Mody – and one of the children who grew up in it, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi.
"I was very happy to be there," says Mody, who lived in Sharjah from 1975 to 1980 and is responsible for a number of buildings in the emirate, such as Al Zahra Hospital, the Dibba housing project, villas in Al Ghubaiba, and the Oceanic Hotel in Khorfakkan.
"At the time there was a construction boom," Mody says. "People from all over the world were pouring into the Middle East."
His reminiscences sketch a smaller, yet still lively city. There was no traffic then between Dubai and Sharjah, and Mody says he used to buy his bread each day in Dubai. He went there in a shared taxi for which he paid one dirham. But traffic, that scourge of Sharjah, still features in his memories: Mody says queues used to form behind police cars. "Traffic police were the only point of contact with government in our day-to-day life," he says. "We were always worried of being caught for speeding. If we saw the car of a traffic police in front of our car, we would never dare to overtake."
He says passing the driving test was difficult, and his wife resorted to "emotional blackmail" to succeed – she showed up for her test at seven months pregnant. "The strategy worked. She passed at the first attempt."
'I was honoured by his passion'
Mody was in Sharjah at the invitation of Al Qassemi, who is researching architecture in the emirate, and had contacted the architect after studying the history of his buildings. "Actually, he got the wrong name," Mody says. "Instead of Ashok Mody he had Ashok Mehta [another Indian architect], and he could not find me."
When Al Qassemi was corrected, Mody says: "He called me on a Wednesday and said, 'I want to come and meet you on Friday'. I said, 'Are you in Mumbai?' He said, 'No, I'm not in Mumbai, but I'm coming to meet you.' He came straight from the airport to my office, we had a chat for hours, and he left in the evening. I was honoured by his passion."
Mody's most important commission is Al Zahra Hospital of 1975. One of the major hospitals in the city, it sits regally with two balanced wings, perched upon the curve of ground-floor premises. Mody revealed during the talk that it was originally a hotel, but its purpose was changed midway through construction, and the rooms destined for hotel guests took in patients, instead.
Developing a new system
As an architect for key municipal projects, Mody was privy to the mix of ambition and social responsibility that permeated that era. A housing project in Al Ghubaiba, for example, answered the need of Dr Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi’s plans for education in the emirate.
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“The Ruler of Sharjah wanted to make Sharjah an international hub,” Mody tells me, “so he started the construction of schools, colleges, other institutes, which would need lots of teachers – so he wanted to make houses to accommodate those teachers. He told us that he wanted 1,000 houses in one year. Because then by that time the school would be complete and the houses should also be complete.
“But it was impossible to construct 1,000 houses with conventional construction types.”
Mody developed a system by which a unit consisting of a floor and two walls would be placed, then the builders would add the two other walls. With this technique, they completed the thousand-house goal.
'Grand living with some Islamic features'
Mody's personal favourite project is the Oceanic Hotel – a perfect exemplar of Gulf architecture of the 1970s, with its slightly futuristic discus levitating upon the two modernist wings. At the heart of the building is an elevator that offers passengers views over the sea. "Right now you might find an observation elevator in many places," he says. "But in 1977 there were not any. We were the first to introduce a viewing elevator in this part of the world."
According to Mody, when it came to designing the Sooud Al Qassemi house, the senior Al Qassemi gave him “a very small brief: I want to have a grand living with some Islamic features”.
"Coming back, I can see that it's still a grand living. In this one room there were about 80 people there and it wasn't crowded at all," says the architect, diligently pointing out how he fulfilled his client's brief. "We created a grand staircase. And we brought some onion-shaped domes."
One might also add to this: grand ambitions. The Al Qassemi family is leaving the premises, but the fate of the building is not clear. "Sultan wants to convert the house into an art gallery. It would be really good if this building, which we have designed like a grand palace, becomes an art gallery. It would be a wonderful transformation."
So, Mody might have one more notable commission left to complete.
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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