New Delhi: Brazilian author Paulo Coelho’s powerful novel The Alchemist has huge fans around the world. The story of a cowboy boy and his self-discovery has inspired people of all ages and all walks of life. An autorickshaw owner from Kerala also seems to be one of them.
The novelist tweeted a picture of the three-wheeler this Sunday, with Paulo Coelho written on the back. ‘Alchemist’ is written in Malayalam just below the name.
“Kerala, India (Many thanks for the photo),” Coelho posted.
The tweet has since gone viral, with people in India, especially in Kerala, sharing it widely. Till the time of writing this report, the post had garnered 2000 RTs and over 22,000 likes.
Many thanked the author for the acceptance and good gesture, while others raved about how Coelho has a huge fan base in India.
However, a user made a pertinent comment that the tweet should reach the person behind the photo, the autorickshaw driver or owner.
“It would be a great shame if the person behind this is unaware that PC noticed this and tweeted about it. Must mean a lot,” he posted.
Meanwhile, as many users wondered who was the driver or owner of the autorickshaw, Malayala Manorama traced the man and identified him as KA Pradeep from Ernakulam.
“I would say Coelho is a man with a magic pen…,” the report quoted him as saying.
Pradeep is said to be a huge fan of Coelho and has written all his books which are available in Malayalam.
How Twitterati reacted to Coelho’s post
HarperCollins India took note of the famed author’s designation and called Pradeep’s work “a heartfelt tribute to one of the most widely read and beloved writers in the world!” said.
The tweet “automatically” also landed on Penguin India’s timeline, and the publishing house shared it with everyone.
The official handle of Kerala Tourism also “spotted” the tweet of Alchemist and its author in Kerala.
Responding to Coelho’s tweet, Twitter user Pradeep Menon wrote: “You will be surprised to know what kind of following you have in this little part of the world called Kerala.”
“To us, you are not from Brazil or abroad. You are from the banks of the Bharatappuzha river, and feel like one of our favorite Malayalam novelists,” another user Thomas Zakaria posted.
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