Importance Of Knowledge

Kaun Banega Crorepati has started once again on TV yesterday. Many friends like this program. It is all about knowledge, you see.

But why do I have a deep resentment again this program? I feel like puking when I hear Amitabh (the popular host) say "Gyaan hi aapko apna haq dilata hai (only knowledge fetches you your right)".

Amitabh played a wonderful role as a teacher in the movie Arakshan. Isn't a teacher supposed to impart knowledge to students? And KBC IS a program that tests the knowledge of the contestants.

NO, I scream. A teacher who imparts ONLY knowledge is wasting time. Knowledge is cheap. Most questions in KBC can be answered in a minute by googling. What is the point of knowing something which can be found so easily elsewhere?

What is more important is the ability to understand the concept behind the knowledge and the WHY. Knowing the WHAT is just the first step. A teacher who imparts knowledge to the students and tells them the formula for water is H2O or that the capital of Uruguay is Montevideo or that the height of Mt Everest is 8848m is well uhhh hmmm, yes so what? A person can find all this in google in no time. What of it?

Pursuit of knowledge is a colossal waste if you don't the purpose of knowledge and if you don't understand the WHY behind the knowledge.

I don't like a teacher who doesn't explain WHY. The worst teacher is one who cannot explain the WHY of WHAT he is teaching. 

A friend was telling me about her papa who didn't know that a blue gift box indicated a boy and a pink one, a girl. You mean he is a fool because he didn't know this difference between blue and pink? Come on.

Coming back to KBC, it tests a person's knowledge. And it has a popular host, the guy who played a great teacher in Arakshan. And it is sponsored by an educational institute that imparts training for students aspiring to get admitted into IIT. Good luck, IIT. 

If we firmly believe that "only knowledge fetches you your right", god help us. Great minds create fresh knowledge where there was none. Filling your mind with knowledge that existed is a waste of time unless it creates some new knowledge.