Dede Sophie

Housed inside a cave of boulders, this temple dates over a thousand years. It enjoys a rustic location surrounded by pristine farmland and nature of the Dakshina Kannada region of Karnataka. I am referring to the Kallu (stone) Ganapati temple, a hidden gem located near Saibrakatte, Udupi district. During my 10 day monsoon motorcycle ride across the Western Ghats of Karnataka, I happened to reach Kota, the hometown of my friend and popular travel blogger Shrinidhi Hande. It was he, who recommended visiting this offbeat temple and that’s how we planned an evening visit to this temple and the nearby Mekkakattu Nandikeshwara temple. It was drizzling when we started our respective motorcycles from Kota and the 12 kilometer green route via farms, streams, rivers, paddy fields and villages gave us perfect company. State highways turned into winding village roads and we finally reached this place full of boulders in the middle of absolutely nowhere. A narrow passage (I had to duck n crawl at m...

This is a concept from Suzuki which shows the direction the company is looking to produce its first battery electric model, writes Brian Byrne. The eVX was unveiled at the Auto Expo in Delhi, and a production version is mooted for 2025. The car will have a 60kWh battery which the company suggests will have a range in excess of 500km. The production car is expected to be in the same size bracket as the S-Cross small SUV. The powertrain is likely to be influenced by Suzuki’s technological cooperation deal with Toyota. 

Creature ABC Ages 4-8, 120 p, Chronicle Books, Isbn-0811869784 An elegant addition to any library, this deluxe alphabet book features 120 pages of Andrew Zuckerman’s breathtaking wildlife photography. From alligator to zebra, each featured animal boasts two striking studio portraits against a clean white background, offering a unique up-close view of the animal kingdom. Readers can flip to a helpful glossary in the back for extra information. From the sleek beauty of a smiling hippo to the powerful majesty of a roaring lion, this gorgeous new book is both a stunning work of art and a ferociously fun way for young animal-lovers to learn their ABCs. The book is good. The glossy photos – the details in them as if the creatures were about to leap off the pages – were just perfect! I just wish all the letters were represented by the appropriate creature. Don’t get me wrong – most of them are, but some aren’t. Like N is for nocturnal creatures (which is mor...