That knowledge is an intrinsic good and has inherent merits is to state the obvious. It is knowledge and its quest thereof that has made advances in civilization possible, among other things. Be it the field and domain of medical sciences where stupendous and staggering advances have been made or information, technology and allied services, or pick any field or discipline, knowledge and developments therein have led to tremendous progress. The present day world and its accoutrements would be virtually impossible to even conceive without advancements in knowledge. This has become all the more poignant in the contemporary world where knowledge has become a veritable factor of production so much so that it is held that we inhabit a knowledge economy paradigm. In this new paradigm or even name of the game, it is only those societies that adapt to this paradigm that will not only survive but also stay relevant. But, what we observe here is that while we , as a society, have vast and deep repository of traditional knowledge to bank and draw upon, we are very much behind in the modern knowledge and sciences game. As such, we are way behind the curve , so to speak, while the world moves on and is moving on. This lacuna needs to and has to change. The question is how? The answer , first and foremost, lies in adopting knowledge and its acquisition full on and full throttle. The onus lies on the young to do this by inculcating a thirst for knowledge. But, key here is applied knowledge and not merely abstract knowledge that has no utility. By way of a caveat, it needs to be pointed out here that no knowledge is useless and all forms of knowledge have their own intrinsic appeal and merit. But, applied knowledge, which has a utilitarian cast and hue, helps not only in the process of knowledge addition and gaining but also equips people with the tools of earning livelihoods and also, in the process adds to the stock of society’s stock of knowledge that can then be further developed and sharpened for the overall benefit of society. In the knowledge game, so to speak, time is of essence and societies elsewhere have progressed by leaps and bounds. It is therefore about time that we gird our loins and take a plunge in the deep and wide pool of knowledge for the benefit of society.

KR Desk