A sycophant is a servile person, acting in his or her own self-interest, attempts to win favor by flattering one or more influential persons. These actions are executed at the cost of his or her own personal pride, principles, and peer respect.
Sycophancy has its roots dug deep in the Indian culture, and even today it finds a place in several power centers of the society where bootlickers are thriving on obsequious cajolery. What’s worse is that this culture is considered largely acceptable, and often obsequiousness is glorified and disguised as loyalty or courtesy. People with power, position and prominence have always retained devoted team of courtiers to stroke their gigantic egos. Sycophants on Indian soil can be dated back as far as four hundred years to the royal courts of Akbar, regarded as the greatest mughal monarch. In his court, fawning ministers gained power and position by flattering his majesty with words of praise for his acumen in the administration of the kingdom.
Such culture is rampant on the Indian political turf, where ticket aspiring leaders play the ‘please to progress’ strategy. Garlands, bouquets and greetings have been reduced to mere tools of obsequious slavery at the highest levels of power. A recent government diktat passed in Rajasthan mandated senior-most civil servants to stand up and greet visiting MLAs and MPs. All government officials were also asked to escort visiting public representatives back to their cars amongst extending other required courtesies, even if it meant leaving their offices on a busy day. Why a MLA or an MP needs to be treated different to a common citizen at a government office? A directive as dogmatic as this in the world’s largest democracy reveals our shameful advocacy for a kowtowing culture.
Sycophancy has become an integral part of the corporate culture as well. Though your boss might claim to sniff out crawlers from a far distance, he surely loves the occasional ‘sucking up’ from a subordinate. Let’s face the facts, in most offices, the ‘Yes Boss” man is more likely to get the boss’s recommendation for a pay rise or a promotion even though his peers are far more competent and equally hardworking. In such circumstances it’s hard for employees to resist sugaring up their way to the top because if you don’t, there are ten others who will do it instead.
It’s a shame that such culture is allowed to breed in educational institutions, fostering students in to this slimy shortcut to success. A success which doesn’t come with knowledge, hard work or merit but is based on giving ample ‘lip homage’ to the educational authority. Most students realize that it’s much more fruitful to compliment their professor’s pale tie rather than pointing to his inflating waist size. The ugly truth remains that more often than not these compliments find their way to the grade cards of such ‘teacher’s pets’ so doing your professor a favor will hardly ever go unrewarded.
Who’s going to put an end to this culture? The very groups who claim to campaign for moral and ethical values in society encourage this corrupt culture within their groups. The sad fact is that no one is born with a sycophantic mindset; it is the society that directs one to this approach. The big question is: How long can you resist it?
