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Monday, May 22, 2006

A Floating Book Exhibition

Christianity + Spreading Knowledge = The World's Largest floating book exhibition
The World's Largest floating book exhibition, housed in the world's oldest (still sailing) passenger ship, made a stop over at Vizag. Doulos is manned by volunteers, some as young as 19, who pay for their stay onboard, sail around Europe, Africa and Asia and spread goodness in the form of concrete schools in deserts, free medical check-ups in Chennai and a lot of other stuff that looks nice and comforting in print. The PR propoganda is on the official site here. The Ship's dossier/press kit claims the ship is nearly as old as the Titanic. Um not the best of comparisons but I will let that pass.

Day One : Went there as a regular tourist gawking at the stuff that is meant to be gawked at. The kiddie section was brilliant but the Christian books and bibles were a forbidding prescence - looming over everything else. My friend Korula points out perhaps they are into conversions. Hmm...

Couple of Days Later: Go there as a psuedo-journalist. Am writing an article and am given the grand tour topped with coffee and bikkis in the VIP lounge. Notice a seminar going on, attended by localites. The PR lady says it is stress management or something as vague as that. The woman spearheading it is the Director of the Christian Revivial Mission. Hmmm ..

In the bowels of the ship I see posters trumpeting 'Jesus Saves You' or words to that effect, PR lady shrugs if off saying, "Ooh this is just for fun, nothing to look at." Sure. I wasn't allowed to take a pic of the poster. Anyhow...that's that but I do intend getting in touch with the Christian Revival Mission. But first I gotta finish my clean, secular, kiddie article on what fun it is to be sailing on Doulos.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

yo, you are back. good.
no free Bibles? hmm. very sloppy on their part i tell you :-)

Anonymous said...

I saw that ship, it was nice and I bought a book on stargazing.

Hash said...

oooh..a revival mission..you should have asked them if they have the book 'da vinci code' :)

Anonymous said...

yellowrama!
www.xanga.com/ozzymoron
when you finish your clean kiddie article, drop in.

Men Who Do Cleavages said...

You got me thinking now!
Now I see it clearly : why when the Doulos called at port in Kuwait there were some sad people in the country at the time who started to behave like a cat on a hot tin roof.
:)
Thanks for helping make sense of it all.

Anonymous said...

yooo ooo?

geezi said...

hey ramama! hey for once your blog is soooo updated. its good to see u back in action! dhans is married.. gr8 wedding.. something you would hv enjoyed by asking 10thousand questions in yor typical way.. :)))) keep bloggin.. cheers --g@u

Anonymous said...

best regards, nice info
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vu2aeo said...

I remember visiting the Doulos with you, I still have the coffee mug I bought!!