Culture of intolerance and politics of opportunism is sweeping this nation. Shahrukh Khan is the latest target of such insanity. His matter-of-fact article that drew reactions from across the border had some politicians in this country baying for his blood. As Shahrukh said in a statement later that it is sad that he had to clarify that he is proud to be an Indian and he is safe in this country. Isn’t that what he lamented in the article that he wrote for Outlook Turning Points 2013 (Published by the New York Times)? All evening news channels yesterday had debates going-on on Shahrukh Khan's article, although it was evident that most of the panelists (a sizeable number of them politicians) who had been invited on such shows and were baying for SRK's throat had not even read the article!
But Shahrukh is not the lone victim of such absurdity in this nation. Not so long ago, Ashish Nandy’s comments at Jaipur Lit. Festival were twisted and construed that he is anti-dalit. A Kolkata based professor is arrested and is thirsted in jail simply because he dared to draw a cartoon of a politician who is at the helm of the state. Shashi Tharoor loses his ministerial portfolio for his tweet. The list can go on on…Who cares? Politicians care for the mileage that they can get out of the vote-bank or caste-based or religion-based or region-based politics, fanatics care about declaring fatwas and people of this country… by and large they seldom care to check the facts. When Justice Katju said that 90 percent of people in this country are idiots, we slammed him but did anyone read his open letter and what he really meant when he gave that statement?
Majority of people do not check facts, they just react! Am I surprised? No, not at all! In fact, if it were any other way, I would have been.
This is also good news for all the politicians and the likes in this country for they can continue to create hysteria and draw mileage out of the same. The bad news is that in the long run the disengagement and disenchantment of the same people would be huge. It is simply a win-lose game, where people only stand to lose!
Organizational leaders who also wish to believe that engagement rides the unintelligent emotional horse more than a rational stallion can be rest-assured that they are sowing seeds of destruction in the future. Short-term manipulative gains shall not prevent the systemic disengagement of people in the long-run and crisis would loom large one day on organizational sustainability. Curbing opportunism-based management & leadership in organization and building a strong inspiring culture is the only way to create long-term engagement.
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