Paulo Coelho tweets photo of Kerala autorickshaw named 'The Alchemist'
Pradeep, an auto driver in Kerala, had never imagined that printing the name of Paulo Coelho in English and one of his bestsellers The Alchemist in Malayalam behind his three-wheeler would make him famous. But Coelho, who has over 15 million followers on Twitter, himself has made the auto driver, who is an avid reader of his books, an internet sensation in India.
Pradeep named his vehicle after reading the book's Malayalam translation
"Kerala, India (thank you very much for the photo)," the Brazilian writer scribbled on Twitter after posting the photo of Pradeep's autorickshaw carrying his name and his famous novel. For Pradeep, his autorickshaw named The Alchemist is the only means of his livelihood. He named his vehicle The Alchemist 10 years ago after reading the Malayalam translation of his book.
Here is Coelho's tweet
I have read several books of Paulo Coelho: Pradeep
He changed the vehicle couple of times but did not change its name. "I have read several of his books. There is at least one thing in each book which can be followed in our life," said the 55-year old auto driver, who has read famous works of Coelho including The Eleven Minutes, Veronika Decides to Die, The Pilgrimage, and Adultery.
Twitterati in India celebrated Coelho's tweet
Pradeep, who has been riding his autorickshaw in Kochi for over two decades, said he came to know about Coelho's tweet from his friend on Sunday. "This is a gift for reading The Alchemist...a blessing," he told the media, reacting to the author's tweet which made him and his autorickshaw famous. Twitterati in India celebrated Coelho's tweet.
A twitter user invited Coelho to visit Kerala post-pandemic
"Come visit Kerala after this pandemic. It's a beautiful place," a user wrote in response to the author's tweet. Replying to Coelho, another user said, "Whether it's fiction or non fiction, every world classics are translated into Malayalam, mother tongue of Keralites. And you are one of the most celebrated modern-day writers here in Kerala."
Pradeep wants to meet the author and thank him
Now Pradeep has one dream- to meet the author and thank him for his books. He is hopeful that his dream will come true one day as the writer says in the novel.
