Sycophancy Over Scholarship

Ego wars and sycophancy are undermining education in Kashmir colleges and universities. A local academic shares what he saw, and what needs to change.

- Dr. Ashraf Zainabi

It began with a cup of tea in a college office.

I had dropped by to meet a senior academic I've known for years. We were discussing plans to organize a lecture series, something simple that could bring departments together and invite students into deeper conversations.

As we talked through the logistics, I casually suggested reaching out to another colleague on campus, someone equally senior and respected.

Without looking up, he said, “We're not on talking terms.”

It was a plain, practiced statement, as if this type of professional cold war were no big deal. Then he sipped his tea.

I’ve started to notice the long silences between colleagues, the polite nods that cover real tension, and the way meetings end with nothing real being said.

I've seen professors refuse to share a panel, department heads skip each other’s events, and committees dissolve because two people couldn't sit at the same table.

This ego war is ruining our institutions.

It shows up in how people introduce themselves, emphasize their titles, and hold grudges longer than memories.

The work suffers, but somehow, the pride remains intact.

Ego on its own is difficult enough. In an educational space, it becomes dangerous.

These places are meant to teach humility, curiosity, and service. And yet, time and again, I’ve seen that hierarchy and status, what should matter the least, often matter the most.

And where ego flourishes, chamchagiri isn’t far behind.