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Celebrating St Thomas Cantilupe
Work is nearly complete on an embroidery depicting the life of a Hereford saint.
2008-10-13 13:38:18
Liz Hurley's 'safety pin' dress voted 'Greatest Red Carpet Gowns Of All Time'
London, Oct 10 ANI: Liz Hurley's 'safety pin' dress has topped a new poll of 'The Greatest Red Carpet Gown Of All Time'. The 43-year-old wore the eye-popping black Versace outfit to accompany Hugh Grant to the 1994 premiere of 'Four Weddings And A Funeral', reports the Telegraph.The dress, which was held together with several large gold safety pins, subsequently appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world and was widely credited for boosting her profile.In second place in the poll is classic Hollywood beauty Audrey Hepburn, who wore a stylish white Givenchy dress to the 1954 Oscars - and picked up Best Actress award for 'Roman Holiday'. Julia Roberts, 40, is rated third for the black vintage Valentino dress she sported at the 2001 Oscars. In fourth spot is Catherine Zeta-Jones, 39, who wore a glitzy red Versace number to the 1999 Oscars. And Jennifer Lopez, 39, is fifth with the sexy plunging green Versace dress she pulled on for the Grammy Awards in 2000. The poll, by Debenhams, the department store, asked 3,000 women to choose their favourite iconic dress. The top 10 Most Iconic Red Carpet Dresses are:1.Liz Hurley - Versace 'safety pin' Dress: 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'remiere 1994 2.Audrey Hepburn - White, belted flower patterned Givenchy dress: Oscars 1954 3.Julia Roberts - black vintage Valentino dress: Oscars 2001 4.Catherine Zeta Jones - red Versace dress: Oscars 1999 5.Jennifer Lopez - plunging sheer green Versace dress: Grammy's 2000 6.Keira Knightley - dark plum Vera Wang one shouldered dress: Oscars 2006 7.Kate Winslet - red one shoulder flower strap gown by Ben de Lisi gown: scars 2002 8.Halle Berry - Elie Saab net and embroidery topped dress: Oscars 2002 9.Bjork - outrageous swan dress designed by Marjan Pejoski: Oscars 2001 10.Kate Moss - vintage ripped Christian Dior gold satin gown: The Golden ge Of Couture VIP Gala, V and A Museum 2007 ANI
2008-10-10 02:58:38
Azamgarh's looms once embroidered Benarasi silks
NAT1National/CultureAzamgarh's looms once embroidered Benarasi silksBy Rajat RaiSarai Meer Uttar Pradesh, Oct 3 IANS Nursery of terror That may be the epithet bestowed on this township now, but it was once famous for something beautiful - intricate Benarasi sari embroidery crafted by the looms and hands of its Muslim weavers.Until about five years ago, Azamgarh district housing Sarai Meer, 270 km from the state capital, churned out of some of the best hand-embroidered silk.But now cheaply available China silk, which is easier to work on, has replaced the Benarasi silk and the younger generation has migrated to Gulf countries in search of better job opportunities."An unskilled labourer, say, a driver or a cook, in the Gulf earns around Rs.30,000 per month as compared to the skilled embroidery expert who only manages about Rs.3,000 per month. How can we expect the youngsters to stay back and assist us in our traditional work" Abu Bashar Siddiqui, from whose family six youths are working in the United Arab Emirates, told IANS.The cottage industry, which saw saris being sent here from Varanasi for embroidery, was the sole bread winner for most of the Muslim-dominated villages of Azamgarh district. Such was the beauty that came out of this land, now accused of breeding terror.In Mubarakpur village, which had over 1,000 handlooms, only 200 are functional now. And over 2,500 looms in the villages of Sarai Meer are lying idle.Those still operational are used for rather commonplace work - weaving bedsheets for the traders of Gorakhpur and Mau districts."Most people still engaged in this work are aged people. As making a bedsheet takes less time and the wages are equal to that of a Benarasi silk sari, all the functioning looms have switched to this," explained Madhuri Sharma, owner of an international export firm of Azamgarh.Embroidery on a Benarasi silk sari used to take two to three days and the wages were Rs.100 per day. But the bedsheets take only a day to complete at similar wages, she added.Owing to China silk that is easily available in Varanasi, 90 km away, most people engaged in embroidery work have shifted base there. Also, Varanasi is better connected to the national and international market."These people can be called the last generation engaged in this work as their sons and grandsons have migrated to Gulf countries," Sharma added.China silk takes less labour and time than the original heavy Benarasi silk."China silk is lighter and the saris do not fetch the same price as compared to the original. But they take less pain and time, so the experts have shifted to it," Sharma said.Ghulam Nabi, a weaver of Mubarakpur village who has shifted to Varanasi, said: "This China silk only fetches Rs.200-300 per piece as compared to the Rs.500-2,000 that we used to get a couple of years ago."Migration of the younger generation has also played a vital role in driving this industry to extinction.Sanjarpur, the village of over a dozen terror suspects, also had a prosperous embroidery industry, but no longer."Besides opting for unskilled employment opportunities in Mumbai and the Gulf, our youngsters are now going in for professional studies to earn a better and decent living," said Khalid, whose younger brother Sajid was killed in a police encounter in Delhi for alleged involvement in the serial blasts in the capital last month.Sarai Meer has emerged as an important centre supplying manpower to the industries of Mumbai. Two placement agencies here supply skilled as well as unskilled workers, mainly to Mumbai and also to Gulf countries.The number of passport applications received from Azamgarh district is the highest from the whole of eastern Uttar Pradesh."We get nearly 1,500 applications every month. Most passport seekers are from Sarai Meer and adjoining places," Azamgarh Superintendent of Police Ramit Sharma told IANS.-- Indo-Asian News Servicerr/dd/pg706 Words**03100916
2008-10-03 00:00:00

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Celebrating St Thomas Cantilupe

Liz Hurley's 'safety pin' dress voted 'Greatest Red Carpet Gowns Of All Time'

Azamgarh's looms once embroidered Benarasi silks