Heights of sycophancy
Flattery and meaningless praise is seen as a means to impress those in power. Most leaders seem to enjoy it, not KTR though
I AM THE LAST PERSON TO ENCOURAGE SYCOPHANCY IN POLITICS OR ADMINISTRATION. READ ABOUT AN OVER-ENTHUSIASTIC MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONER ISSUING A MEMO TO SUBORDINATES FOR NOT ATTENDING MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS! HAVE ASKED THE CDMA DIRECTOR TO SUSPEND THE MC FOR ABSURD BEHAVIOUR. — KT RAMA RAO,
From IPS officers touching the feet of the powers-that-be to temples being built for politicos, to the most recent episode of a government functionary in Telangana issuing memos to his staff for not attending minister KT Rama Rao’s birthday celebrations, sycophancy seems to have touched new highs in India.
However, KT Rama Rao is different, he himself directed the Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration (CDMA) to suspend the MC for “absurd behaviour.” “I am the last person to encourage sycophancy in politics or administration,” the minister tweeted in a quick move. “Read about an overenthusiastic municipal commissioner issuing a memo to subordinates for not attending my birthday celebrations! Have asked the CDMA director to suspend the MC for absurd behaviour.”
But, with a politician’s stature being judged by the number of sycophants he or she can command, the bureaucracy has apparently come to believe that their careers depend on their skill in this department.
“I don’t believe India’s politicians and bureaucrats can survive without them (sycophants), because their ego boost is dependent on these so-called ‘Yes-men’ and promoters,” believes Dr Charan Tej Koganti, Neuro psychiatrist at KIMS Hospitals. And this applies not only in politics, but in most hierarchical situations. “There is a constant hunger for approval in the online world that we live in these days. There is a threshold for receiving flattery that keeps getting reset as you are surrounded by more and more sycophants, and one naturally wants more and anything less won’t give you a ‘kick’ like an alcohol addiction,” he says.
Dr Charan sees a narcissist and a sycophant as a mutually-satisfying pair. “It is the pursuit of gratification or egotistic admiration of one’s idealised selfimage for the former. And the latter seeks to gain an advantage through servitude. Haven’t we seen this since the era of the kings, when sycophants began adoring kings for gold or land? I don’t see that politics has changed much since that time,” he adds.
The term sycophancy first appeared in the English and French languages in the mid-16th century, and was used to refer to obsequious behaviour toward someone important in order to gain an advantage. It came to mean insincere flattery over time.
“Everyone wants power — some to bring about change, others to enjoy the change! One thing that all people in power have in common is the ‘respect’ they can gain from deeds, instilling fear, or sycophancy,” Arouba Kabir, a mental health counsellor and the founder of
Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development,
Industries & Commerce, and Information Technology of Telangana
tweeted in a quick move
I DON’T BELIEVE INDIA’S POLITICIANS AND BUREAUCRATS CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT THEM (SYCOPHANTS), BECAUSE THEIR EGO BOOST IS DEPENDENT ON THESE SO-CALLED ‘YES-MEN’ AND PROMOTERS” — DR CHARAN TEJ KOGANTI, Neuro psychiatrist at KIMS Hospitals
Enso Wellness, says.
“The recent incident in Telangana reinforces the belief that political stature is still judged by the number of sycophants surrounding them,” adds Kabir. “This frequently lends to elevated self-esteem among politicians. Critical thinking reveals that almost all of us have some inner quest for praise, appreciation, and respect. We therapists place ‘power and position’ at the top of the list of ten factors that influence self-esteem. People today thrive solely on the basis of ‘Likes’ on social media and their sense of self-esteem is frequently accompanied by constant self-praise,” Kabir explains.