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

If all these Volkswagen ID numbers are somewhat confusing to you, you’re probably not alone, writes Brian Byrne. Quick primer: all IDs are electric; ID.3 is a compact family hatchback; ID.4 an SUV in the same C-segment; ID.5 a coupe version of that last; and ID.Buzz is the van-based passenger MPV and commercial vehicle. There’s an ID.6 in China, a 7-seater in the D-segment; and planned for this year are a city car ID.1, a small ID.2 crossover, and large saloon and estate ID.7s. So what you see is Volkswagen’s roadmap to offering a range of EVs to match most of its current internal combustion models. Nothing in the pickup to match the upcoming new generation Amorak yet, but given the cooperation agreement with Ford on LCVs and future blue oval passenger EVs, doubtless there will be a VW variant of Ford’s US F-150 Lightning at some stage. All of which brings me to the ID.5 which is the subject for my review this week. The style is slick, recognisably an ID, but with that more gently slop

Sourcebooks Casablanca, 347p, ISBN: 1402238835 Synopsis – Returning to his family seat from Waterloo, Gervase Frant, seventh Earl of St Erth, could have expected more enthusiasm for his homecoming. His quiet cousin, stepmother, and young half-brother seem openly disappointed that he survived the wars.  And when he begins to fall for his half-brother’s sweetheart, his chilly reception goes from unfriendly to positively murderous. Yes, this is a sort of a murder mystery, my dear Heyer fans. Or rather attempted murder, I should say (that’s not a spoiler, for I’m sure you guessed the hero can’t be murdered – right?). I feel the real mystery lies in the romance part of it, for till the end the reader is left wondering who exactly will end up with whom. Not at all the usual sort of fare we’ve come to expect from this wonderful romance author of yester years, but one which she writes surprisingly well. Read more »