World Book Fair 2012, New Delhi

[Naushirvan]

Greetings,

On the 27th of February, I visited the World Book Fair 2012 at Pragati Maidan. The collection of books on display is amazing. For a book-freak like myself, it would take an entire day to browse through all the stalls. Interestingly, an entire hall has been dedicated to 'Books on Science and Technology'. People who love reading books in Indian languages won't be disappointed either.
As you enter the book-fair venue, a number of religious-types offer you pamphlets promising Jesusy salvation and relief from 'adharma'( is it something like having gas?). The Brahmakumaris are a fixture at such events. These guys had placed their fellow cult-members outside EVERY hall in order to lure as many people to their lost cause. Then there were Christian ladies exhorting visitors to 'know how much Jesus and God loved them'( their exact words). The usual purveyors of nonsense - the Astrologers, tarot card readers and alternative medicine guys - peddled their lies to unsuspecting customers. I noticed a huge poster for an event called Nakshatra which was to bring under one roof all such pseudo-sciences as prey upon the ignorance of men.
The most of amazing of all spectacles was at a stall handing out free copies of the Quran. It was packed with people! I had somehow always associated such distributions with the Christian faith. Those who wished to avail themselves of the free Quran had to fill their details etc. in a form.

This scenario truly represented what India is like. As a microcosm, it highlighted all manner of superstitions that jostle for space with the creative arts, science and technology.

[nick87]

I think it's because of the word FREE, that they went ahead to get a copy.
You ask anyone curious or even remotely curious about your faith to pay you say 200 bucks for a pocket copy of your prophet's revelation and they'll look at you strange.
Offer a FREE, no questions asked, absolutely guaranteed satisfaction, change your world forever offer and give them a FREE book and I'm sure anyone would take because it's free and not for what it truly contains.



Video contains expletives.

The pockets of religious interest groups always tend to run deep and into pockets of people wielding power. For every 100 people who toss the scripture out or let it gather dust in a spider filled attic (as it rightly should), there will be some poor misguided person who will become the religion's new sheep. It is to engender this sort of consequence that religion goes to these extents. A sprinkler gone mad, spraying water droplets of ignorance in all directions. For a thousand lotus leaves that repels the droplets, there is but one that sticks.

Cheers
Nick.