There was a day when man was in an uncivilized stage. He lived in caves and dens.

He
was afraid of wild animals. Gradually civilization came to human society and man
acquired knowledge. With its attainment he became civilized. Now knowledge has made
him ruler over nature. He has used the force of nature to his needs. Nothing remains
unknown to him.

Knowledge plays an important role in all spheres of human life and

activity.
Bacon said knowledge itself is power. In fact, knowledge is not a rich and unique
possession that cannot be stolen or plundered by thieves, nor does it decrease by giving.
Knowledge has also been defined as recorded experience and a product of history, of
which reasoning and belief, no less than action and passion, are essential constituents.

Francis Bacon said Knowledge itself is power. Knowledge is the awareness of a fact or a
situation. It is a rich and a unique possession that cannot be stolen or plundered.
Knowledge doesn't decrease when it is given. In fact, knowledge is power. Our knowledge
is the amassed thought and experience of countless human beings. Those who have widerange of knowledge and experience can capture power and influence. The possession of
knowledge gives them a distinct advantage over the semi educated people. Half
knowledge is regarded as 'the curse of god' and also it is worse than ignorance.
The growth and survival of mankind depends upon knowledge. From the Stone Age till
date, man has struggled to know the unknown. He explored land, water and space by
virtue of his knowledge. Man has made progress in all fields starting from science,
technology to arts etc.

At the dawn of civilization, man was at the mercy of nature. He lived the life of a nomad.
He invented tools and weapons for hunting. Verbal communication also developed. He
discovered fire and the wheel. These were the initial steps taken by man by utilizing his
brain.
Man, then started living in communities. He settled near rivers and took up agriculture.
The settlements soon transformed into villages. Waterways and canals were constructed
for irrigation purposes. Surplus grains were stored in granaries to be used later. Soon
villages transformed into towns, then provinces and later cities and counties. He
discovered new places and things and invented things for his own benefits. The gradual
change and development from the Stone Age to the Present Age has been made possible
by knowledge.
The successful discoveries and inventions encouraged man to contemplate on new ideas.
His ability to rationalize, analyze and store the events in his memory enabled him to
achieve success. Knowledge gave him the power, confidence and courage to make life
worthy of living. He began to use the forces of nature for his own benefits. Thus, life
become comfortable. He utilized his knowledge to improve his own life.
Man has been able to eradicate a number of diseases like polio, pox, plague etc from the
face of the earth. The human body can be operated upon for removal of cancer or for an
open heart surgery. The discovery of a number of antibiotics and drugs have reduced the
sufferings of mankind. Agriculture has also been developed. The use of high yielding crop
yield. The invention of the devices of communication has transformed the world into a
global village. Computer has changed human life altogether. All these have been the
fruits of man's quest for knowledge.
Knowledge gave man the feeling of strength and power. Knowledge develops human
faculties. It leads to the excellence of the mind. It enables one to give sound judgment.

Education and knowledge are desirable for democracy. We should try to spread the
knowledge base in all fields in the masses. In Indian rural scene, the knowledge levels
about family, school education, problems of woman. child rearing and other social issues
are very poor. Illiteracy and social backwardness combine to put the rural masses at the
receiving end. Lack of knowledge leads to poverty and absence of methods of productivity
and

economic

prosperity.

This

vicious

cycle

continues.

Restraint,

tolerance,

understanding and capacity to manage affairs come with knowledge. If knowledge is

imparted to our rural children, youth, women and men, they would emerge as the major
social power.
There is no end to the gaining of knowledge, It is only the foolish man who thinks he
knows everything. Modern knowledge is very intricate and wide is scope. Thousands of
researchers, all over the world are constantly at work to acquire more knowledge for us.
But the immense increase in knowledge of the world sometimes doesn't make us better
human beings. Sadly, with the passage of time, man started misusing knowledge. He
started using knowledge to destroy the very forces that provided him sustenance.
He interfered with nature and disturbed the ecological balance. He has polluted air, land
and water. He has, thus created unfavorable conditions for himself and others. Man has
developed destructive weapons that can destroy completely the whole of mankind. The
bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima proves the fact. Man is posing a threat to the
existence of flora and fauna.
Knowledge shouldn't be misused. Nuclear power must be used for useful purpose. Man
should find solutions to control and check pollution. The conventional sources of energy
are depleting at a fast rate. He should try to find out sources of economical power
generation.

Knowledge must be acquired and shared as a collective effort. Lack of knowledge leads to
poverty and absence of economic prosperity. Knowledge should be utilized for the
upliftment of the poor masses. It should be used for peace, prosperity and growth.
Knowledge is Power
If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may
lead us said Adlai E. Stevenson . This is the idea behind the concept of an inclusive
society based on free and easy access to knowledge for all.
Letters and the Numbers are the two eyes of man.Education is an engine of offence
,defence and ambition.Education and economic reforms are the keys to unlock the doors
of development.The traditional notion- knowledge for its own sake, has today given place
to the modern idea -knowledge is for development. We live in an increasingly global world
where national borders are becoming meaningless.In the context we need to compete with
the best from across the world .This necessitates that we benchmark ourselves with global
best practices.
Knowledge Society consists of practices and policies for using intellectual assets to support
key economic objectives and to reduce vulnerability gaps,and in the process of social
transformation strengthening national security .Knowledge management deals with the
knowledge as a corporate resource.Knowledge culture is necessary for survival and
success in the modern world of business.
Knowledge is only one input to the development process, but it is an absolutely essential
one. Without adequate knowledge all the other essential inputs-land, infrastructure,
factories, capital, technology, administrative and social organization-cannot yield full
results. Enhancing knowledge generation, dissemination and application is the fastest,
most cost-effective means of increasing the productivity of all these other resources and
accelerating national development.
Development depends on four knowledge processes:

Knowledge generation and acquisition through scientific discovery, R&D and

transfer of technology.

Knowledge adaptation through innovation to particular fields, needs and operating

environments.

Knowledge dissemination through formal and informal channels from knowledge

developers and adapters to those responsible for applying the knowledge in
society.

Knowledge application through skilled action in fields, factories, classrooms,

hospitals and every other field of activity to achieve practical results.

Global organisations realise today that to compete in the modern business environment
,they need to equip themselves with the strategic competence to create ,store ,share and
gainfully use knowledge old and new.A knowledge-based economy shifts from the
manufacturing stage towards a diversified service sector economy.
The competencies that would count in the emerging Knowledge Age are intelligence
,knowledge,good formal educational qualifications and skills in communicative English-we
are abundant in it.
Knowledge is important not only for the rich but also for the poor.This is all the more
relevant in a country such as India where the gap between the rich and the poor is
enormous.Thus India has to closely link economic development with social development
.Technology can assist in the development of the social sector.The anytime-anywhere and
death-of-distance

paradigms

of

technology

enable

better

leveraging

of

scarce

resources.The use of technology to address issues of food security and nutrition ,egovernance and digital divide.Computerized learning aids,cyber classes and e-education
are instances of use of technology in education.Knowledge is the key driver in the race for
economic leadership.A key imperative today is for the government to collaborate with the
private sector and industry in building knowledge infrastructure. This includes partnership
for developing talent ,formulating conducive regulatory framework,creating bandwidth and
providing affordable computing power.
It is suggested that Indian policy makers and organisations consider focusing on the
following

areas

to

prepare

for

knowledge-based

economy

and

society.

First, good quality institutions, a reasonable degree of contestability in the economy and in
polity, and an outward-orientation are essential for creating, diffusing and adapting
knowledge in India; efforts should be made to deepen and institutionalise economic and
governance reforms.

Second, strong education and training in technology and science are essential as
knowledge cannot be absorbed unless some basic knowledge is already possessed.
Reforming education policies and regulations, particularly those designed to increase
supply and quality, should be an urgent priority. India must preserve traditional knowledge
and

subject

it

to

scientific

enquiry

and

application.

Third, capabilities to take advantage of international conventions such as converting

product and process knowledge into patents and intellectual property rights must be
developed. Commoditization of traditional knowledge by more resourceful countries needs
to be addressed through cooperation among developing countries, which have similar
interests.