Paulo Coelho posts Kerala's auto rickshaw pic: Meet auto driver who caught Alchemist writer's attention

World-famous author Paulo Coelho tweets the picture of Kerala auto driver KA Pradeep's rickshaw in which 'The Alchemist' is written in Malayalam.

Kochi, Sep 6: An auto wallah might not have realised that printing world-famous writer Paulo Coelho's name on his vehicle would garner the attention of a large section of netizens across the globe. That is the power of the internet which could make anybody and anything internet sensation overnight.

Auto driver KA Pradeep from Ernakulam is a fan of writer Paulo Coelho and his 'The Alchemist' had a big influence on him. So, he printed the author's name and the book name on his three-wheeler which drew the attention Coelho.

Paulo Coelho, on Twitter, shared the picture of the auto in which the author and his book's names were written in the Malayalam language. With over 15 million followers, he has a fan following across the globe and made KA Pradeep famous.

"Kerala, India (thank you very much for the photo)," the Brazilian writer tweeted.

Pradeep printed the aforementioned name on his autorickshaw 10 years ago after falling in love with the book 'The Alchemist' in the Malayalam language. Despite changing a few vehicles, the name remained the same on all his vehicles.

"I have read his several books. There will be at least one thing in his each book which can be followed in our life", the PTI quotes the 55-year old auto driver as saying.

Pradeep has also read Paulo Coelho's other books like "The Eleven Minutes", "Veronika Decides to Die", "The Pilgrimage" and "Adultery".

According to the auto driver, the 55-year-old auto driver came to know about the tweet from his friend. "This is a gift for reading the Alchemist...a blessing", he told media

The Brazilian writer's Tweet was overwhelmingly received by Keralites who responded to his post by telling him that he is a popular writer in God's Own Country.

Check out select-few response picked from Twitter:

Anish Antony: @paulocoelho It will not be an over statement if I tell Paulo Coelho is the most read writer in Kerala. No motivational class or seminar goes without a mention of Coelho. Any book store you visit will be well stocked with Coelhos works. You will also find them with streetside vendors for sure

rejimon varghese @paulocoelho: 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 writer here in Kerala.

Rachel: @paulocoelho: It's morning here in Kerala, and this is the first thing I saw today... Couldn't have been much better, because I started my journey with The Alchemist, glad that I'm still following it's path. Thank you for sharing this pic.
PS: my twitter username suggests itSmiling face with smiling eyesSmiling face with smiling eyes

Nir⁷: @paulocoelho keralites love this book !!! its recommended by every teacher to their students

Mervin karunagappally: @paulocoelho You are too much popular here in kerala

Ravikumar K: @paulocoelho We share our love and thanks to the great writer for this tweet along with Sri.A.K Pradeep who honoured by your love.

Paul Babu @paulbabu: @paulocoelho Any time Mr. Coelho! You and your works are very dear to us.

Meanwhile, KA Pradeep has confessed that he wants to meet the writer someday and believes someday his dream will come true like the popular quote in "The Alchemist". "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it," is one of the popular lines from the book.