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The Echo of India Kolkata Tuesday August 9, 2016
People who read
books may live
longer: Study
NEW YORK, AUG 8 /--/ Bookworms, rejoice! People who read books regularly are
likely to live longer than those who do not
read at all, a new study has claimed. Researchers at Yale University in the US used
data on 3,635 people over 50 years of age
participating in a larger health study. Participants were divided into three groups:
those who read no books, those who read
books up to three and a half hours a week,
and those who read books more than three
and a half hours.
The study found that most of the book
readers tended to be female, college-educated and in higher income groups. Researchers controlled for those factors as
well as age, race, self-reported health, depression, employment and marital status.
Compared with those who did not read
books, those who read for up to three and a
half hours a week were 17 per cent less
likely to die over 12 years of follow-up, and
those who read more than that were 23 per
cent less likely to die.
ook readers lived an average of almost
two years longer than those who did not
read at all, the 'New York Times' reported.
Researchers found a similar association
among those who read newspapers and periodicals, but it was weaker. "People who
report as little as a half-hour a day of book
reading had a significant survival advantage over those who did not read," said the
senior author, Becca R Levy, a professor at
Yale. "The survival advantage remained
after adjusting for wealth, education, cognitive ability and many other variables,"
said Levy. The study was published in the
journal Social Science and Medicine. (PTI)
Modern Indian women
must own handloom: Anita
NEW DELHI, AUG 8 /--/
Known for her classic trousseau and rich handcraft, India's leading fashion designer Anita Dongre says
modern Indian women today
should have hand-woven fabric in their collection. "Every
modern Indian woman today
must own few pieces of
handloom and handmade in
India, she must do that,"
Dongre told PTI in an interview. Emphasising the use of
handmade textiles, the designer said handcraft plays a
huge role in her designs. "My
brand Grassroot creates
western
silhouettes
in
handlooms for Indian woman
and the young Indian girl.
Under bridal wear, we create
occasion Indian wear where
we use handloom. So, as designers we have to make fashion accessible and make a
conscious effort to use
handloom in our collection."
From lehenga-cholis to maxi
tops her collection, that she
showcased at Vogue Wedding
Show's fourth edition here,
had shades of pink, orange
and red as the designer be-
lieves colors play an important role at the Indian weddings. Speaking about her favourite trend for this year's
wedding season, Dongre revealed that she liked long
tabard kurta and open jackets with gotapatti embroidery as they are versatile.
Dongre is also promoting Indian handloom in collaboration with the gover nment.
She recently met Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani to
discuss ways to promote Indian weavers. "We are going
to start working with some
weaver clusters all over the
country so we were identifying which clusters we could
start work with and how the
g overnment would enable
that to happen."
When asked about her
plans of taking this initiative
forward, she said, "We have
done a very successful initiative in the village of Charoti
in Maharashtra where we
have trained over 50 women.
"So we are hoping to recreate
the same model in village
clusters that the textile ministry will identify. My team
will go there and work with
skilled craftsmen and also
ensure that the next generation of craftsmen get trained
so it will be a two-pronged
programme. (PTI)
Hema Malini makes new Cara's sister Poppy lands big movie break
Twitter account for Mathura
MUMBAI, AUG 8 /--/ Actress-MP Hema Malini
has launched a new account on Twitter which
she says will be used by
her to share news about
activities in her constituency, Mathura. This
comes after the 67-yearold BJP MP announced
last month that she will
restrict her Twitter updates to her Bollywood
and dance activities. She
had earlier faced flak for
sharing pictures from
her film shoot amid violence in her constituency, Mathur a. "Would
like to announce my new
Twitter handle set up especially for my activities
in my constituency,
Mathura. Whoever is interested can go through
that," Hema posted.
"It is under the user id
@ h e m a m a l i n i m p m t r,"
she added. The actress
has already begun posting details of her latest
work in Mathura. "Distributing gas connections
through
the
Ujjw ala Yojna," she
wrote. In another tweet,
she posted, "Inaugurated
RO Plant at janu village
in Goverdhan constituency." Hema shared that
she also had a meeting
with
administration
heads and all departmental officers regarding development progress in
Mathura. (PTI)
LONDON, AUG 8 /--/ "Suicide Squad" actress Cara
Delevingne's model sister
Poppy has reportedly
landed her first major film
role. Cara's older sister has
had small roles in "Pirate
Radio" and "Absolutely
Fabulous: The Movie", but
now it has been revealed
she has a large part in the
sequel
to
2014
hit
"Kingsman: The Secret
Service",
reported
Contactmusic. Poppy, who
will also appear in director
Guy Ritchie's upcoming
film "King Arthur: Legend
Of The Sword", has joined
a cast that already includes
Taron Egerton, Channing
Tatum
and
Julianne
Moore. "The Delevingnes
are in huge demand in Hol-
lywood right now, and this
is a pretty big deal for
Poppy in the wake of Cara's
success in 'Suicide Squad',"
a source said.
"It is her first lead role
and she will be opposite
some of the biggest names
in the film industry." Poppy
will be reportedly playing
one of the film's main villains. (PTI)
Jones to auction 'Ghostbusters' premiere dress
LOS ANGELES, AUG 8 /-- / Actress
Leslie Jones is set to auction off her red
dress which she wore at the Los Angeles
premiere of "Ghostbusters". The 48-yearold actress, who plays Patty Tolan in the
all-female reboot of the 1984 classic, is
planning to sell or donate the red bardot
gown to make the younger generation "feel
good", People magazine.
Speaking about the plans for the garment, fashion designer Christian Siriano,
who responded to Jones' Twitter plea to find
someone to make her dress, said, "She's going to auction the dress off I think or donate it to - She works with a bunch of young
theater kids. "So hopefully we do something
with it for like the younger generation so
they feel good. (PTI)
Origami paper cranes to mark Hiroshima Day
NEW DELHI, AUG 8 /--/ Armed
with origami paper cranes, a bunch
of slum children from the city are
telling the story of Sadako Sasaki,
a 12-year-old girl who lost her life to
radiation caused by the NagasakiHiroshima bombing. range of
paintings made by the children on
the terror unleashed by the 1945
atomic bombings will be displayed
at the Japan Foundation on August
9 to mark the 71st anniversary of
the attack on Japanese soil.
"Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl was
diagnosed with leukemia following exposure to radiation caused
by the nuclear bombings at Hiroshima.
It was her wish to fold 1,000 paper cranes to avert her death. But
she could only make 614 cranes
and passed away at the age of 12.
"Sadako has since become a symbol
of peace. We have trained hundreds of MCD school students in
Najafgarh along with the NGO
Apne Aap Women Worldwide in
making origami (Japanese paper
folding technique) paper cranes.
The 1,000 cranes made by them
will be put on display at the Japan
Foundation in the run-up to the anniversary," says Aseem Asha
Usman, founder of Aseem Asha
Foundation.
Aseem Asha, who has been
working with the underprivileged
children of Jamia Nagar area since
the past eight years, says the initiative was aimed at drawing the
world's attention to nuclear warfare
and its perilous effects. "Students
are the future assets of the nation.
It is crucial for them to know about
the world affairs from a young age.
The Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombing
is not just the story of Japan's destruction. It also showcases the resolve of a country that started from
scratch and is one of the most developed nations of the world today," he
says. deeba Saifi (16) and Farhana
(19) are excited to exhibit their
work on the life of Sadako and various other Japanese people who lost
their dear ones and belongings in
the war ag ainst America. "I have
drawn paintings based on the last
moments of Sadako. The cranes she
wanted to make and her aspirations
as a young girl form the theme of my
work," says Adeeba, a class 12 student.
Farhana, a graduation student,
will showcase five paintings based
on Toshi Maruki's book 'Flash of Hiroshima'. "Tomoko Kikuchi, a Japanese writer who translated the book
into Hindi titled 'Hiroshima Ka
Dar d', g ave us the idea to paint
about the lives of those affected by
the Hiroshima bombings. The book
was very inspiring. "We lear nt a lot
about the bombings and its perils
after the interaction with the writer.
Even a textbook could not have
done justice to it," she says. Scenes
from the Hiroshima-Nagasaki
bombing sites, a broken watch depicting the time at which the atom
bombs exploded, a young girl
standing in front of her broken
house- have been brought on the
canvas by Farhana. Kikuchi, who
has made India her home since
1992, is known for her translated
work in Hindi. She has translated
several Japanese books including
'Flash of Hiroshima' (Hiroshima Ka
Dar d), 'Town of Evening Calm'
(Neerav Sandhya Ka Shahar) and
'Sakura No Kuni' (Sakua Ka Desh).
The 46-year-old writer, who did
her PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru
University, is all set to launch her
latest translated work at the Japan
Foundation on August 9.
"'Main Dhoondh Raha Hu' is a
compilation of 14 photographs
taken at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan. I have
translated the Japanese book
'Sagashiteimasu' in Hindi. The photographs were taken by Tadashi
Okakura. The book talks about
those who lost everything to the
atom bombings. It also contains a
moving account by American poet
Arthur Binard on the bombing victims," she says. 'Main Dhoondh
Raha Hu' is being brought out by
Eklavya Publications. (PTI)
CREATIVE WORLD
Sophie Turner
to star in drama
'Huntsville'
LOS ANGELES, AUG 8 /-/ "Game of Thrones"
star Sophie Turner, best
known for her role as
Sansa Stark, is set to join
drama
"Huntsville".
"American
Horror
Story"
star
Dylan
McDermott is also part
of the indie project, reported Entertainment
Weekly.
McDermott will play
Hank, a solitary man in
a sleepy Florida town
who raises eyebrows
when he begins a questionable relationship
with Turner's character
Josie, a recently transplanted high school student. To be directed by
Eric
England,
"Huntsville" is based on
writer
Anthony
Ragnone's 2014 Black
List script. Production
on the project is scheduled to begin this month
in and around Los Angeles. (PTI)
Underprivileged
children treated
with exotic
cuisine
KOLKATA, AUG 8 /-- /
Twenty underprivileged
children from two city
shelters run by CINI, an
NGO working for poor
children, were provided
with a sumptuous treat
at an upscale city restaurant on the eve of
Wo rld Friendship Da y.
"What matters is the realisation that they are
no less important than
others in society.
They can also enjoy
the friendship day with
gusto," a CINI spokesperson said. Afreen,
Ruksana, Rini, Sampa,
Raju, Saraf, Imtiaz and
13 others were yesterday taken to the threestar multicuisine hub,
where an entire row was
reserved for them to savour the food, specially
made for them.They
were treated to Chicken
Thai Green Curry, Royal
Harabhara Kebab, Fish
Amritsari and Murgh
Hyderabadi
Dum
Biryani.
Asked which delicacy
they liked the most, the
children said in chorus
"the chicken preparation with thick greenish
g rav y." Actor Mumtaj
Sorcar spent time with
the children and cut a
'Friendship Day' cake
with them. "I want to be
someone in life with
enough money so that I
can come to such places
on my own. I need to
study hard for that,"
Rini, one of the 10 girls,
told Mumtaj "We don't
wish to share details
about their past ... some
of whom having been
rescued from trafficking. The boys are all
housed at our Sealdah
shelter and the girls are
lodged in CINI Amader
Bari after being rehabilitated by our volunteers", the spokesperson
said. (PTI)
Nawazuddin is a one-take
actor, says Salman
MUMBAI, AUG 8 /--/ Superstar Salman Khan feels
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who
plays the role of a golfer in
his upcoming film "Freaky
Ali", is a one-take actor. Playing the titular role in Sohail
Khan's directorial venture,
Nawazuddin starts out as a
salesman for undergarments. He also doubles up
as a local gangster who
plays cricket and later
somehow lands up playing
golf. "I had never played
golf earlier. It is a technical
game and I had to learn it. I
practiced the game a lot. I
practiced golf for 10-12
days," Nawazuddin told reporters here at the trailer
launch of "Freaky Ali" last
evening. The "Gangs of
Wasse ypur" star, who is
known for his acting skills,
found difficulty while
mouthing a dialogue to sell
lingerie in a scene in
"Freaky Ali". "The dialogue
on underwear advertisement was the most difficult.
I rehearsed it early morning
before
the
shot,"
Nawazuddin said.
At the trailer launch
event, the 42-year-old actor
even mouthed that particular dialogue in a non-stop
way, leaving the audience
present in splits. Salman,
who was present at the
trailer launch event, too
couldn't control his laughter. "That's why we took
Nawazuddin (referring to
the way he said the dialogue). He is freaky. He will
give you that shot in one
take. If I would have done
then it would have taken 50
takes. Even after that I
would have never been able
to say that again," Salman
said. The film also starring
Amy Jackson and Nikitin
Dheer opens in cinema
houses on September 9.
(PTI)
‘Shivaay’ doesn't have
religion angle: Ajay Devgn
MUMBAI, AUG 8 /--/ Actor-producer Ajay Devgn says his
upcoming film "Shivaay" won't hurt any religious sentiments
as the movie deals with human elements of Lord Shiva. Ajay,
who has also directed the movie, said he is not portraying
Shiva but a common man, who is a devotee of the God. "There
is no religion (angle in the film). I am not portraying Shiva.
If you see my lines also, 'jiske bheetar basa Shivaay', (means)
who has Shiva in his heart. In the film also, he is not sitting
and meditating and praying. He has got tattoos of Shiva all
over his body and he is called Shivaay in the film," the 47year-old "Drishyam" star said in an interview on the sidelines of the film's trailer launch in Indore.
Ajay said Shiva was the only God who had flaws and that
was an interesting concept to toy with. "The thought is, man
who believes in the supernatural power. Shiva, I feel, is the
only God which also connects to today's youth. Every other
God is flawless, Shiva is the only god with all the flaws. "He
smokes, drink 'bhang', when he gets wild he will kill randomly,
then he will realise that he has made a mistake, people can
fool him also. He is good by heart.. When he gets violent he
is terrible. This is what humans are. Shiva, I feel is the only
God which has all the elements," the actor said. This muchambitious project took two years to complete and Ajay said
the film needed special attention as he didn't want to make
"mediocre" stuff.
"I am bored of making films which are mediocre. We have
to raise the bar. Somebody has to make an effort. For that you
have to make lots of sacrifices. I have not worked for the past
two years in any other film." The actor cut his fee too for the
movie as he believed the grand scale of "Shivaay" needed
sacrifices from him. "Technically, people will think I've lost
so much of revenue because I've not worked. In a film like
this, to make it on this scale, if I would've kept my remuneration
as an actor and a director, I don't think that was possible. So,
that also I sacrificed." When asked how did the idea to make
"Shivaay" struck him, Ajay said it was writer Sandeep
Srivastava who came up with a thought which was inspired
from a true incident. (PTI)