Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala today inaugurated a 'floating book fair' on board a ninety-one year old ship, Doulos, at Chennai port.
The fair on board the ship, nicknamed the Old Lady, will offer over 6,000 educational titles to the book lovers.
In his speech, Barnala said that exposure to great books makes one compassionate. "It motivates scientists, technologists and engineers to be more humanistic and use science for the betterment of humanity," he said.
The Captain of Doulos, Alex Feddes, said that the 320-member strong crew from 48 countries had sailed to over 540 ports in 100 countries armed with half a million books, to spread 'Knowledge, Hope and Help'.
"The word 'Doulos' means 'servant' in Greek and the ship is here to offer vital literary resources to the world and to serve humanity," he explained.
The ship, built in 1914, just two years after the Titanic and the oldest sailing ship in the world, has borne the names Medina, Roma, Franca C and Doulos. It is currently owned by a German non-profit agency "Good Books for all". It is her third visit to Chennai.
The floating book fair is on till May 8 and will be open to the public from 10 am to 5 pm from Tuesday to Saturday and from 12 pm to 5 pm on Sunday and Monday. Tickets are priced at Rs 50 and entry is free for children under 16 years of age.
{{/usCountry}}The floating book fair is on till May 8 and will be open to the public from 10 am to 5 pm from Tuesday to Saturday and from 12 pm to 5 pm on Sunday and Monday. Tickets are priced at Rs 50 and entry is free for children under 16 years of age.
{{/usCountry}}The crew will host an "International Festival", an extravagant cultural event, at the Kamaraj auditorium here on May 5.