The pianist at the shopping mall

paulo coelho,the author of the famous book'The Alchemist'...mentions an incident in the book 'Like the flowing river'.

He visits a shopping mall along wid his friend.As he stands there idle for sometime..among all the noise from televisions in the shops selling elecrical appliances,high heels clicking over the tiled floor..he listens 2 a wonderfully soothing pleasant music..he thinks that it is a recording but when he follows the music he comes to a pianist ...A notice beside the stage explains that he is a famous musician from Georgia,one of the ex-soviet republics.

His eyes fixed on the magical world where the music was composed;his hands share with us all his love,his soul,his enthusiasm,the very best of himself,all his years of study,concentration and discipline...The one thing he appears not to have understood is that no one,absolutely no one,has gone there to listen to him;they have gone there to eat,shop,to pass the time,to meet friends.They kept moving past him as though nothing or no one existed in that space.The pianist doesnt notice-he is still conversing with mozarts angels.He is playing as if he were at the opera in paris..he is playing because that is his his joy,his reason for living.

Paulo says he is reminded of a very important lesson:that we each of us have our personal legend to fulfill,and that is all,It doesnt matter if other pple support us or criticize us,or ignore us or put up with us-we are doing it because that is the fount of all our joy.When the pianist notices the author and his friend,he just gives a discreet polite nod n they too do the same.He returns to his paradise untouched by the world n even by their timid applause.

He is serving as an example to us.Whenever we feel that no one is paying any attention to what we are doing,let us think of that pianist.He was talking to God through his work,and nothing else mattered .