The buzz around the late Alyque Padamsee’s recently released book ‘Let Me Hijack your Mind’ refuses to die. At Titles Waves, a boutique bookstore nestled in the plush Bandra West, British actress and filmmaker Soni Razdan, India’s leading choreographer and TV judge Terence Lewis and phenomenal actor Denzil Smith recently expounded on some relevant topics from the book, alongside ace theatre personality Raell Padamsee and the book’s co-author Vandana Saxena Poria. Noted singer-actress Sharon Prabhakar, lensman Vikram Bawa, actor-author Umesh Pherwani and model-actress Anupama Varma were some of the guests present at the do who lauded and cheered on the speakers.
“I’ve known Alyque for many years, albeit through Pearl and Raell. But he was someone we felt we knew as a good friend…a wonderful human being full of fun and tongue-in-cheek humour…very simply, a great guy! One could always rely on him to stir things up a bit,” shared Razdan. “This book is something we all need…to shake up our complacency and re-jig our thought processes that we take for granted, almost like the clothes we wear. It will be fun to look at things differently and share the thoughts that tumble out of our collective assumptions.”
For Lewis, “Alyque Sir is somebody I look up to as a mentor, who also gave me my first break with his ‘Evita’ in 1997-88 when I was a nobody. I’ve imbibed so much from him; I remember he always carried a notepad with him to write points down and free his brain. From him, I learnt how to collaborate with people and motivate them – it was endearing how he knew each artist’s name. Most importantly, he treated all with equal respect. I remember asking him “Why do you work with so many women?” His reply – “I’m very exacting when it comes to work, and women don’t buckle under pressure. What they need is stimulation through love and respect. Men have ego clashes,” has stayed with me. To date, all the key posts in my organisation are managed by women.”
Taking ideas from the book forward, Terence Lewis discussed if Corporate India should have a CVO – Chief Visionary Officer or a CSO – Chief Stimulating Officer instead of a CEO, while Soni Razdan mulled over would marriage work better if we had a 5-year renewable license? and Denzil Smith spoke on ‘Ten for Men and zero for everyone else.’
Proud daughter and theatre doyenne Raell Padamsee’s admiration for the creative genius of her brilliant father shines bright when she imparts, “Dad’s all-consuming passion for questioning conventional wisdom and improving people’s thinking is present in each mind-blowing chapter of this outrageously original book. His quest to unlock minds to rousing new ways of thinking about age-old issues such as sex and gender relations, work, and money, etc. is what he continues to do through this book. To further such conversations was the aim of this evening, and it was a stimulating one with radical ideas and concepts pertaining to old and young alike. A fascinating insight into areas we have not thought of till now.”
