A small
group of people with shared interest or tastes are called a ‘Coterie’. I heard about this word only during Emergency
days of 1975 when a close group of 3-4 ministers in the then ruling party
suddenly became very powerful. This bunch of powerful people was branded by
opposition & the media as ‘Coterie’.
Their dikat became the last word and those who dared to oppose were hounded
and either put behind the bars or made to fall in line with them. Freedom of
speech took a back seat, censorship of News became order of day, those asked to
bend started to crawl and Government officials suddenly got wings to harp on
subordinates.
Over a
period of time, I could relate to coterie in every sphere of life. Take a look
at any office, one can find such coterie working overtime to ensure that their
interests are protected. They keep reporting to their higher ups about all the
happenings in the office & at their back. Their bondage with higher ups
would be so strong that a sincere & honest junior will always be doing the
additional work of that coterie. He would be externally patted for the good job
but would never be rewarded with timely promotion or posting of their choice.
Writers have
their own set of coterie who will be indulging in self promotion at every
available platform. They work on premise-‘You praise my work, I shall do
yours’. Be it a writer’s meet, book release function , felicitation function
(even at their own expenses ) or routine meet, they ensure to hog the limelight through
media coverage like photo session, interview etc. They work in unison to
get a Government or Literary awards.
Now this
business has also entered into social networking sites. From time to time, I
have come across comment on Face book like- ‘People expect likes and comments
on their post but do not like or comment on other’s posts’, or ‘I am going to
undo friendship with those who are not reading or commenting my post’! So, if
you are on such social network sites and sending someone friendship request,
make sure he is from your inner circle i.e. coterie so that he keeps
liking/sharing your posts irrespective of the fact you like it or not otherwise
one day, you would be removed from the so called Coterie.
The less
said about coterie in any Association, ladies club or temple trust, the better.
Unlike other fields, here the members are always divided and self interest
becomes the prime goal. Once Shining India was eclipsed…….by the legal &
illegal advice of the coterie. Their actions can be disastrous if not handled
with care & diligence. If they can create a King or a monster, they can
make a pauper as well!
