Floating bookshop here

Doulos, the World's Largest Floating Bookshop and the Oldest Passenger Ship, owned and operated by Gute Bucher Fur Alle (Good Books for All- GBA),a nonprofit making charity organisation registered in Germany, will be in Sri Lanka from Friday, December 16 to December 31.

From Colombo the ship will move to Galle harbour and Southerners could view Doulos from January 4 to 11, 2006.It will be docked at the Bandaranaike Quay,Leyden Bastian Gate,Colombo Harbour and on Friday, December 16,at 2.00 pm the `family book fair' will be officially opened by the First Lady Shiranthi Rajapakse the Guest of honour of the opening ceremony.

The Doulos will entertain visitors from 2 pm to 6 pm on December 16, and from December 24 to December 31 at 10 am to 3.00 pm daily. While the book-ship is closed on December 25 in lieu of Christmas, on Tuesdays and Saturdays the public can enter the ship during the opening hours 10.00 am to 6.00 pm; on Sundays and Mondays from 2.00 pm to 6.00pm.

The Floating International Charity Book-ship the MV Doulos comes to the Sri Lanka shores when it is holiday time and season for `buying gifts'.

The Book-ship, carries with her a stock of half a million books featuring around 6,000 titles on display and for sale, and these books cover a wide range of subjects such as Science,Sports,Hobbies,Cookery, Arts, Philosophy,Children's books and the like.

Doulos hosts on her upper deck the largest floating Book Fair in the world. The books have been carefully chosen to treat the interest of each and every member of the family and with the educational and social needs of the local community in mind. Most of the books are in English although a small selection of books in local language is available.

The MV Doulos built in 1914,just two years after the Titanic sank an it is still afloat and the uniqueness of the lies being the book-ship recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, being the World Oldest Ocean-going passenger ship still active.

It is on record that this Book-ship has travelled visiting 100 countries during the past 27 years. Princes, Prime Ministers,Sheikhs and Presidents have greeted this `Grand Old Lady of the Oceans" passing through their respective territorial waters and over 17 million people in the countries in Latin America,Africa,Europe, Asia and in the Pacific have climbed the Ship's gangways."It is with this modest pride in mind we return to Sri Lanka for another exciting visit", a communique released by the Doulos said.

The Good Books for All organisations which own the vessel has operated since 1978, and seeks to promote good education and international understanding through its floating book-shop and cultural exchange program. This unusual ship which is a home to over 300 Christian volunteers from 40 different countries and is dubbed as the"Floating United Nations". The caption and the crew members do not earn a salary by working in this ship but they are being sponsored by their families or friends.

The crew on board has been involved in providing long term humanitarian relief in areas of great need or tragedy. This ship at intervals has provided food,material aid,primary health-care and education,rebuilding and re-equipping of medical and educational facilities. "We hope to give our contribution to the beautiful country Sri Lanka during our stay as we do in some way every port we pass through, an expression of our practical concern", the media release said. (WIRUMA)