Pratap is a data engineer working in ABC Infocom. Pratap is a sincere employee who is liked equally by his superiors, colleagues, and subordinates. One day, during the lunch hour, a few colleagues were discussing a news item. There was a rally/parade in support of the LGBTQIA+ community which was to be held on the coming Sunday. While the news item was a matter of intrigue and fun for all, Pratap was sensitive about the issue. He explained to his colleagues the importance of understanding the demands of the LGBTQIA+ for equal civil rights as enjoyed by others. Kamal, a colleague of Pratap, believed such tendencies are not in the favour of the traditional values of the society. Another employee, Sushma, said that she has heard some experts on various news channels talking about how the demands being raised by the LGBTQIA+ community are against the laws of nature. Bhanu, the sales team manager, too agreed with the majority opinion; Bhanu said that his parents believe that the inclinations of LGBTQIA+ people are a manifestation of mental illness. Pratap's reasoning in favour of equal rights for all was of no consequence to his colleagues who seemed to have a rigid attitudinal build up against the community as a whole. On the designated day when the rally was to take place, Kamal was watching the coverage of the parade live from his home. To his astonishment, he saw Pratap in the LGBTQIA+ rally. Next day at the office, when Kamal told Pratap that he saw him participating in the parade, Pratap agreed, and told Kamal that he was gay. After this incident Pratap began to see visible changes in the behaviour of not only his colleagues and subordinates but also the management of the office. While earlier all pestered Pratap to be present for various official and personal occasions, now he increasingly felt unwanted. Even his colleagues started taking their lunch separately. Pratap was earlier respected and revered by all for his sincerity and dedication. But now his professional qualities were over-looked and he became an object of amusement for all. He noticed that people started calling him by different names which he realized were a slur on his personality. Matters came to head when Pratap was overlooked for promotion. Earlier, Pratap's superiors on various occasions had told him that his good work has benefitted the organization immensely and he was due for promotion after the next appraisal. Therefore, this supersession came as a rude and disappointing shock to Pratap, and he fell into a mire of self-doubt and loathing. The conditions came to such a pass that, Pratap, who was earlier a happy go lucky, caring, and a self-aware person, started remaining depressed. a) What are the qualities lacked by the colleagues and superiors of Pratap? b) What could be the possible reasons behind the negative attitude of office employees towards LGBTQIA+ community? c) As a friend of Pratap, what advice will you give him?

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2024