Mangaluru: Following close on its heels, after the first edition of “The Alchemist” which has been translated into Kannada by Mangalorean Abdul Raheem Teekay, and named as ‘Rasavadi’-was released on 2 May 2015 at Vajra Banquet Hall-Hotel Moti Mahal, and within three months all copies were sold out-the second impression of ‘Rasavadi’ was released by Dr Mohan Alva-Chairman of Alva’s Education Trust-Moodbidri, on Saturday, 8 August 2015 at Ravindra Kalabhavana-University College-Mangaluru at 2.30pm. The release ceremony has been organized by “Blood Brain Biome Banking Trust (BBBBT)- a Blood Donation and Motivation centre in City. Guests of honor for the occasion were Dr Talthaje Vasant Kumar- HOD of Kannada (retd.)-Mumbai University, Abdussalam Puthige-Chief Editor of Vartha Bharati and Abdul Rahim Teekay-the author of ‘Rasavadi’.
Advocate MB Abdul Rahman-Chairman of BBBBT welcomed the gathering and also introduced the guests of honor to the audience. After releasing the book “Rasavadi” along with other dignitaries on the dais, Dr Mohan Alva said, ” Everyone of us having a dream that we want to achieve, and when we achieve it, it will be a dream come true-similar is in the case of Abdul Rahim Teekay-his dreams have come true in bringing out this unique and well translated novel-my sincere compliments to him for a job well done. AR Teekay is a man of ambition, determination and dedication-by bringing out this novel it is a big achievement for him”.
He further said, “I am happy to say that many Muslims have contributed to the growth of Kannada through poems, literature and novels/books. Forgetting about caste and creed, we need to support Kannada and make it reach greater heights. I compliment Teekay for his love and dedication towards Kannada language and trying to promote it among the community. I am happy to announce that the forthcoming Alva’s “Nudisiri”- a Cultural Fest to be held in November will feature/promote Beary Language and Culture”.
Narrating about “The Alchemist” translated into Kannada as ‘Rasavadi’ by AR Teekay, Dr T Vasanth Kumar said, “The Alchemist follows the journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Believing a recurring dream to beprophetic, Santiago decides to travel to a Romani fortune-teller in a nearby town to discover its meaning. A gypsy woman tells him that there is a treasure in the Pyramids in Egypt. Early into his journey, he meets an old king, Melchizedek, who tells him to sell his sheep to travel to Egypt and introduces the idea of a Personal Legend. Your Personal Legend “is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is”.He adds that “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”. This is the core theme of the book”
“Along the way, Santiago meets an Englishman and continues his travel with him. They travel through the Sahara desert and during his journey, Santiago meets and falls in love with a beautiful Arabian woman named Fatima. He asks Fatima to marry him, but she says she will only marry him after he finds his treasures. He is perplexed by this, but later learns that true love will not stop one’s Personal Legend, and if it does, it is not true love. Santiago then encounters a lone alchemist who also teaches him about Personal Legends. He says that people want to find only the treasure of their Personal Legends but not the Personal Legend itself. Santiago feels unsure about himself as he listens to the alchemist’s teachings. The alchemist states, “Those who don’t understand their Personal Legends will fail to comprehend its teachings”. It is also stated that treasure is more worthy than gold” added Dr Kumar..
“Coelho wrote The Alchemist in only two weeks in 1987. He explained he was able to write at this pace because the story was “already written in [his] soul. The book’s main theme is about finding one’s destiny. The Alchemist is “more self-help than literature”. An old king tells Santiago, “when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true”. This is the core of the novel’s philosophy and a motif that plays all throughout Coelho’s writing in The Alchemist. AR Teekay has done a excellent job by translating “The Alchemist” in Kannada, so that people who can’t read English can now have the opportunity to know about the story, especially the children. My compliments to Teekay for an excellent novel”
Author Abdul Rahim Teekay addressing his well-wishers and supporters said, “My main intention in bringing out this novel was to inspire the underprivileged children to dream and aspire to follow their dreams. Although I had read The Alchemist in 1998, I read it once again in 2014 when my son gifted that book on my birthday. Since I always interact with school children studying in government schools, where sometimes children stopped dreaming and lost hope of success in life, I thought translating The Alchemist in Kannada will serve the purpose in enlightening the children build dreams. I want to let you know that The Alchemist is not just fictional but falls into the genre of self-help. I am thankful to everyone who helped me in bringing out ‘Rasavadi’, which I hope will reach every one’s heart and bring a change in their lives”.
“With reverence I dedicate this book to Paulo Coelho, the living legend of global literature, a humanitarian par excellence and the original author of ‘The Alchemist”. I am very grateful to Paulo Coelho for giving his consent to translate ‘The Alchemist’ into Kannada-he not only allowed me to translate his story but also took no royalty. Although the first edition of ‘Rasavadi’ was distributed free of cost, the second reprint will be sold at a reasonable price of Rs 250. My sincere thanks to BBBBT for organizing this programme, Salma Bava foundation for publishing this book, Suhail Usman Moidu for designing the cover, Karthik of RP Graphics for excellent creation, Kallur Nagesh for page layout, and Akrithi Prints for superb printing work”
Addressing the gathering, Abdussalam Puthige said, “The Alchemist traces the path of Santiago, a young Spanish shepherd who is compelled to follow his dream of finding hidden treasure in Egypt. To do so, he must leave the comfort zone of home, learn to trust the “Soul of the World,” and believe that there are forces in the universe that want us to be happy. In order to find happiness, however, Santiago must first discover his “Personal Legend”—that is to say, he must to discover what he is meant to do in the world. Fortunately, Santiago soon takes the first step in his acquisition of happiness: he listens to his heart and overcomes fear”.
“As Santiago continues his sometimes-painful journey, he discovers that one cannot be dissuaded from pursuing a “Personal Legend,” even if the choices seem impossible to bear. The end result for anyone who does so, Coelho assures his readers, is physical and spiritual reward. The Alchemist’ which has sold 190 million copies worldwide, and translated into 81 different languages, which has now been translated into Kannada by AR Teekay, I am confident that “Rasavadi” will sell in lakhs-and that’s my best wishes to Teekay for a job well done” added Abdussalam. The programme was professionally compered by BA Mohammed Ali, in his eloquent and witty style.