Dede Sophie

Have you seen the images of monuments and temples behind the new currency notes of India? Did you know that all of them with the exception of the 2000 rupee note are all UNESCO World Heritage sites and are some of India’s best heritage gems? One such gem on the back of the 200 rupee Indian note is the Sanchi Stupa, one of India’s oldest stone structures and commissioned by none other than the great emperor Ashoka himself in the 3rd century BCE, about 5000 years ago. While the Sanchi Stupa itself is special, its intricately carved toranas or gateways are breath taking. There are 4 toranas in total and each one is steeped in stunning architecture and umpteen visual stories from the jataka tales and from others. The one at the back of the 200 rupee note is the Western torana view and you can notice by the 4 yakshas supporting the structure. Built in the 1st century BCE, these toranas are mesmerizing and are believed to have been the pioneers of this type of architecture at those times. Mi...

CONGRATS TO LUCKY WINNER – BRENDA! In The Gate House New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille delivers the long-awaited follow-up to his classic novel The Gold Coast . When John Sutter’s aristocratic wife killed her mafia don lover, John left America and set out in his sailboat on a three-year journey around the world, eventually settling in London. Now, ten years later, he has come home to the Gold Coast, that stretch of land on the North Shore of Long Island that once held the greatest concentration of wealth and power in America, to attend the imminent funeral of an old family servant. Taking up temporary residence in the gatehouse of Stanhope Hall, John finds himself living only a quarter of a mile from Susan who has also returned to Long Island. But Susan isn’t the only person from John’s past who has reemerged: Though Frank Bellarosa, infamous Mafia don and Susan’s ex-lover, is long dead, his son, Anthony, is alive and well, and intent on tw...