Alchemist Coffee Table Book

The Alchemist

When you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.

This is the story of a young shepherd boy
who gives up everything he has and owns
and takes off on a quest to learn the craft of
alchemy. He pursues his dreams by following
what his heart desires. He learns to listen
to the heart and to follow the language of
omens. He has a recurring dream of golden
jewels and large mountains so he finds himseld
in Kinnaur with nothing and no one but
himself and his determination to decrypt the
soul of the world. He realizes that he must go
on with his own ‘personal legend’ no matter
how difficult the journey becomes.

THE ALCHEMIST OF KINNAUR

THE JOURNEY OF
SEVEN MILLION
STEPS
Tenzen, a local shepherd boy from the land of gods
Bharmour, has a recurring dream about a wise man
who tells him that he will find a hidden treasure if he
travels to the end of Kinnauri mountains.
When he tells about his dreams to his grandma, she
tells Tenzen that this dream is prophetic and that he
must follow its instructions and go find the alchemist
who will help Tenzen fulfill his life purpose. So even
though he enjoys the life of a shepherd, he sells his
sheep in search of new avenues.

FOLLOW
YOUR
PERSONAL
LEGEND
Tenzen wants to learn the secret
of alchemy, or turning any
metal into gold, from a famous
alchemist who lives on last the
mountain of Kinnaur so he starts
his journey to Reckong Peo. He
walks for 4 days and 4 nights,
sleeping and taking shelter in
kind strangers homes, mapping
difficult terrain at the mercy of
mother nature. On his way, he
meets a mysterious old man who
seems able to read his mind.
This man introduces himself as
Kathua, the oldest jeweller and
craftsman of Peo. He tells Tenzen
about good and bad omens
and says that it is the shepherd
boy’s duty to pursue his Personal
Legend.
KALPA VISHNU TEMPLE

RECKONG
PEO.

Shortly after he arrives in Reckong Peo, tired and despondent
of the bleak looking future of his adventure,
he falls adrift on the soft grass of a low hill. In
the darkness of the night, as Tenzen sleeps, a thief
steals all of his money. When he wakes up and finds
out about this, he almost gives up all hope of ever
finding his treasure but decides to be patient and not
give up in the adversity. He thinks this is some kind
of test the universe is putting him through to challenge
his resolve. So he decides to look for a way to
make enough money to return home. He finds work
in the shop of a local jeweller in Peo and learn the
cradt of metal from him.

Tenzen learns the craft of metal and alchemy

First, he learned how to roll the metal- iron
or brass into thin sheets using his fingers and
palms.
Then he got trained in the art of framing and
moulding the thin metal sheets by making a
specific wooden frame like a mould and lac
resin. Lac was used in the making, since it
was soft and the silver sheet was hammered
easily making very fine grooves. The lac made
a perfect mould for the jewellery.
Then he learned to fix the silver sheets on
the wooden frame while the lac is still in a
melted form.
When dried and fixed in place, he drew designs
on the metal plate. The next step in this
process was hammering of the designs which
were motifs of the wind, water and flowers.
He took inspiration from all the nature
around him.
The next step in this craft which the alchemist
taught Tenzen was polishing and honing the
metal. They finished emebediing the designs
and cut the metal. Then they blew gold pieces
on the joints to melt them so they when it
solidifies, it becomes a full fledged piece.

AN ORIGIN STORY
When Tenzen gathered enough money to
move on with his journey, he collects his
things in a cotton cloth and reaches the small
village of Lippa. There he entered the chief
tent, which was huge and white and the
chieftain himself was wearing gold and white
robes. White is the color of purity, and gold
is the most valued metal and the color that
represents wealth. Therefore, he was meant
to recognize the chief, he was a part of his
destiny.
LIPPA.

WHAT SETS
YOUR SOUL
ON FIRE
The mighty alchemist agrees to teach
Tenzen because he wanted to learn
the art just for the sake of it and was
pure and incoruptible. He was not
greedy like the men who used to
come to him.
Tenzen finds that the alchemist leads
a normal life in a small house in the
village of Lippa without getting too
much recognition from the other inhabitants.
His position mirrors that
of other important historical figures,
including Jesus, a carpenter’s son
who wasn’t recognized as especially
important by many in his own community.

KINDNESS BY
SPOONS
Tenzen was lucky enough to find a guru
who welcomed him into his home for
as long as he wanted. Days passed with
Tenzen living with the Alchemist. They
practiced their craft everyday, went for
long walks and even did some local farming.
They grew apples, almonds, peas, red
potatoes. They plucked the vegetables
and fruits every morning for that day’s
consumpton and cooking at home. All
the families in the neighbourhood had
horses which were left in the wild every
summer as a retreat to nature.

GOOD OL’ LEO
After months of extensive practice,
discipline and honing the craft of metal
and jewellery, the Alchemist finally
called Tenzen to him and told him
that he had reached the final stage of
his path. He had taught Tenzen everything
he knew and there was just
one last step left for which they had
to go visit the father of the Alchemist
in the most remote village of Kinnaur,
the royal Leo. They hitchhiked the way
to Leo, from getting into a van with a
monk, to taking a crowded bus which
drove on forever on gravel roads and
then to riding in a tractor with some
labourers. As they reached Leo, they
started their training in the finest metal
craftsmanship again, learning how
to turn any metal into gold. Tenzen
was taken as a dedicated student by
the alchemist”own father too and after
completing six more months of back
breaking, gut wrenching practice and
discipline- Tenzen was declared proficient
in the art and craft of alchemy by
the alchemist and the father himself.
It was now time to go back.

Soul of the world
Leo

LISTEN CLOSELY
TO THE SOUL OF
THE WORLD
While traveling back home, Tenzen begins
listening to the mountains and discovering
the Soul of the World. He understands that
we are all connected and the necessity of
following our heart’s true desires is our Personal
Legend. He can only really learn the
secrets of the world and the alchemy behind
it by observing the mountains and clouds.

START OF THE
END
On the journey back to his village in Bharmour,
Tenzen felt a calmess surround him. He did not
feel heavy anymore, he knowledge of alchemy
had lightened his being. He did not wish to gain
material gain or monetary pleasure and luxury
out of his gift, he wanted to go back and live
a simple life with his sheep, his caring mother
and his most loyal friend and dog, Tazo.
He pursued his dream of learning the craft of
metal and alchemy and achieved his personal
legend. Now he was going to have a new
dream.

THE NEW
ALCHEMIST RETURNS
HOME FROM THE
NORTH
When Tenzen finally reached home, his mother
rushed to take him in her warm embrace. His dog,
Tazo, jumped on him and nearly knocked him off
balance, licking his face all over. This is the warmth
he had been missing. This was the fruit of his meditation
of his discipline. He was a learned man of
great knowledge and a spirit of magic in him now.
He had gained his enlightenment. When he looked
up at the night sky, it exploded with stars. He stood
humming to the tune of the wind and the water,
listening to the sand speak to him. He now spoke
the language of the universe, he was a part of the
soul of the world.