Dede Sophie

The world over knows or at least have heard of the beauty of Kerala’s stunning landscapes, but what we might not know are its fascinating human elements. Kerala is a human scape that draws belief, inspiration and faith from its rich cultural past, its seafaring capabilities, its love for nature and its rich trading experiences. A highly adaptable and hard working race, its people comprise of nature lovers, fishermen, artisans, footballers, farmers and those who have a zest for life and wish to indulge in its simple pleasures. This article is a humble attempt at celebrating these fascinating people of Kerala and their many charming attributes. Kathakali One of Kerala’s gift to the world is its classical dance form called Kathakali. Those colorful faces, that elaborate make up and costume and the unbelievable facial expressions are the trademarks of Kathakali. Even though the fully developed version of the dance originated in the 17th century, it has its roots in temple and folks arts fr

It’s the small things that make you feel good or bad about a car, writes Brian Byrne. I recently wrote about how difficult it was on one model to disconnect driver assistance features that annoy me. If you have to do it by navigating a touch-screen, it’s no good. But there are carmakers who get it right. That was a thought when I got into a Peugeot 308 SW estate for another take on a car I have liked since it was launched here last year. While the driver assists, including the dratted lane-keeping, are default from start, there’s a button on the steering wheel to disconnect-reconnect them. It’s even labelled ‘Assist’. Simple. Thoughtful. Designed by drivers instead of screen-time addicts. Any carmaker who doesn’t do it this way should look at the current Peugeot, Citroen, DS, and Opel compact models. And learn. This latest 308 is the third generation of that car. The style details are right on message with the latest overall Peugeot look. A sharp-looking front end with deep-set slim he