JALLIKKATTU: THE TAMILNADU UPRISING – A CASE STUDY ON LEADERSHIP

The recent people uprising in Tamilnadu over the issue of Jallikkattu, a traditional cultural festival, has created a record of sorts – just for the number of participants in the agitation and the extent of participation. A protest which started with a handful of people on the shores of Marina Beach, swelled in volume by leaps and bounds, thanks to the social media which triggered the local sentiments.

Keeping aside – the arguments of both sides  on the issue of the event– it would indeed be an excellent case study on leadership for an event that was so massive in scale and spirit.

The following are some key observations:

1.   The protests were largely initiated by student bodies and slowly gathered support by the youth, rural and urban, working both in organized and unorganized sector, professionals and non-professionals, women and children, techno-savvy and the conservative,

2.   The protestors ensured that they kept the local politicians away from their broadband, not allowing them to exploit the spirit of culture to be swayed away for political ends and vote banks.

3.   The film industry which oftentimes tried to take leverage for their brand building was also marginalized and except for a few pot shots of certain local channels seeking quick-fix solutions for TRP.

4.   VIPs and other social activists who try to articulate their secret objectives whenever an opportunity shoots up, were never seen either on the forefront or behind the scenes.

5.   The protestors organized themselves in small groups ensured that the conduct was largely peaceful with no expression of aggression, violence or non-conducive behavior.

6.   Unprecedented large scale participation of young women and their stay overnight without any single incident of misconduct with them or ill-treatment was a remarkable display of the discipline, the mindset and the power of organized behavior.

7.   The members of the team engaged in cleaning up the entire place so that their presence and protest did not pose an environmental threat to the beauty of the place.

8.   The transport movement was taken care of reasonably well, allowing the ambulances and other important vehicles to conduct their business purposefully.

9.   Well-wishers and social enthusiasts provided packed food, water and other support systems, even without revealing their identity.

10.Police extended a solemn understanding to the meaning and purpose of the protests, negotiating, advocating, canvassing and mentoring the groups of people without using any force. They ensured law and order simultaneously supporting the objective.

The question arises: Who were the leaders? What was the kind of leadership provided?

Who held the authority? Who were accountable for the entire management?

How did the communication flow take place between different stakeholders?

– it is indeed difficult to find an answer.

Participative Leadership:  It may be an excellent example of “participative leadership” design- because almost everybody participated in the program with a purpose, understanding the mission, with an emotional engagement and stood for a cause. They respected the sentiments of all other participants, facilitated and supported the active participation of other members.

Distributive Leadership: The authority was well distributed, rather well assumed and one could find several leaders in each group- displaying responsibility, authority and a positive intent for the success of the program

Servant Leadership: No body was a boss or showed the signs of a pronounced leader. Everyone wanted to show that they were subservient to an idea and an ideal which they cherished. Distributing food, water and other materials, cleaning up the entire place, regulating the traffic and many other actions showed that they were on the bottom-line of the functional pyramid.

Thought Leadership: The long-debated question in leadership circles – “whether ideas govern the world or men?” could be initiated again. One would see that the idea of a culture, tradition and their emotional attachment to the thought was leading. The way the thought was navigated effectively and logistically during the entire duration of the protest was quite admirable. 

Situational Leadership: Many participants who did not have any basic idea of leadership or even thought they had innate in them the skills of leadership, rose to the occasion and displayed an excellent leadership skill in one way or the other. 

Strategic Leadership: They kept their strategies close to their heart and politely, firmly and diplomatically kept the politician and other hawks waiting for a prey on such occasions at a distance. 

There were other styles of leadership in evidence ..

In the absence of “active” leaders who would make their presence felt, it was “leadership” that was visible than the leaders.

Even if there were invisible architects behind such a massive protest (I don’t think so) the question arises – How did they lead?

The gathering, the conduct and the spirit did attract global attention. Possibly, this could be a trigger for people in other states to follow. This could also provide a big challenge to the politicians who used to get away with false and faulty promises. The spirit of leadership was festive, unparalleled and unique in the history of people participation. It reaffirmed the popular saying “VOX POPULI, VOX DEI”.

This rising has possibly given a new direction and dimension to collective leadership processes. May be, it is a good fuel for management gurus and social psychologists to spend their valuable time investigating or researching the uprising.