Dutch tulip named after Ash

AMSTERDAM: India's glamorous movie-star Aishwarya Rai received a lasting accolade in Amsterdam on Thursday even before Bollywood's "Oscars" are awarded in the Dutch city this weekend - a Dutch tulip has been named after her.

Wearing a sober black dress, the popular 31-year-old star of the Indian screen attended the 'christening' of her orange and yellow edged tulip.

The flower is one of the Netherlands' most enduring symbols as well as largest industries.

"The tulip represents all the beautiful things of Holland," director of the Netherlands' tourism office Hans van Driem said, presenting the tulip to the actress, a former Miss World.

She will make her first appearance on Saturday at the International Indian Film Academy awards, the Indian film industry's equivalent of the Oscars.

Rai, who starred in the 2005 film "Bride and Prejudice" is also known in the international movie scene, having appeared at the Cannes and Locarno film festivals.
Bollywood is the world's largest movie-making industry, producing more than 250 films in 2004.

Dozens of big names in Bollywood led by legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan have headed to Amsterdam where the award ceremony will be the culmination of a three-day Bollywood festival in the Dutch city.

By holding the awards ceremony abroad, the Indian Academy hopes to widen the audience of Indian films attracting new fans in countries where it is still relatively unknown.

For its part, the Netherlands aims to boost the number of tourists from India and bolster its trade with the country of more than a billion people.