Prema Rajaram/Monideepa Banerjie for NDTV

Lakshmikantapur, March 2: French author Dominique Lapierre gave Kolkata its best known title -- the city of joy.

Now he has also given West Bengal a unique connection with Hollywood, through Audrey Hepburn.

Hepburn has now found a permanent place for herself at the school at Lakhikantapur about 40 km from Kolkata.

The school owes its existence to the little black dress that she wore in her award winning film Breakfast at Tiffany's back in 1961.

Lappiere is setting up 15 educational institutions for children in the state with the money he got for the dress that was sold at $825,000.

"I am very happy that this dress came from a woman who spent the last years of her life being an ambassador for the UNICEF. She travelled to South America, Africa and Bangladesh to help deprived children," said Lappiere.

"So some 20 years after her death, this beautiful action of hers continues," he added.

Lapierre has been undertaking several actions in West Bengal since 1981, supporting schools, health centres and even a hospital on a boat.

Thanks to Hepburn's dress, which was given to him as a present by its creater Givenchy, he can now set up 15 more schools in the state and a centre of excellence for physically challenged women.

"We are getting more opportunities now as compared to what the situation was previously. The children are also benefiting due to this," said Tapasi Mal, a parent.

"It's good if girls can get benefits such as education," said Kakoli Sarkar, another parent.

The people at the village might have never known about Hepburn before but thanks to the auction, people of Lakshmikantapur can remember the legendary Hollywood actress in their special way.