The Alchemist

Image copyright: Amazon

Many a times, you hear about a book often, want to read it, get sick of trying to obtain it and finally one day it happens to fall just right into your lap and you start reading it, well that's how I got this book. Its ironic that a book which says 'Nothing happens by chance!!' strangely came to me by chance.

The book speaks about a boy named Santiago who's in search of a treasure which he had seen in his dream[to put it in the most simplistic way]. The boy is a shepherd and had lived all along, the same way in his life. The dream puts him in a dilemma whether to take up a new path and realize his dream or to stay with the same old life he's used to. At one point of time, everybody has this dilemma like the boy and the book kinda throws some light into how one should go about it. The boy incidentally meets a man who claims himself as a king. He advices the boy to follow his dream and gifts him two pebbles named Urim and Thummim to guide him in times of confusion.Then its all about how the boy goes in search of his destiny,the problems he faces, the people he meets and finally whether he succeeds or not.

In one or more ways, I had been like this boy. There had been times when life asked whether I wanted to be the same shepherd or ready to take a new adventure. Signs and omens had guided in unexpected places if you are ready to believe that they even exist. Instead of Urim and Thummim, a toss of coin had helped decide things. Life moves on happily if you are ready to accept everything as a challenge and just fight it as the boy does....