Advent of the knowledge society

November 11, 2014 01:00 am | Updated 01:00 am IST

Towards a Knowledge Society — New Identities in Emerging India Author: Debal K. SinghaRoy

Towards a Knowledge Society — New Identities in Emerging India Author: Debal K. SinghaRoy

A “Knowledge Society” is identified by its recognition of knowledge as the main source of economic progress. This new model of development is bringing about a fundamental reshaping of the global economy. All over the world, the mind is replacing the muscle as the key driver of growth.

The pervasive influence of modern Information and Communication Technologies goes well beyond the hyping of the World Wide Web. What is underway is a metamorphosis of the prevailing present economy and society at large.

The ability to gather, store, disseminate, and retrieve large quantities of data and information has leapfrogged only in the knowledge society. One of the critical dimensions of the knowledge society is the shift in the stress and emphasis on the application of knowledge. The digitisation of information and the influence of the World Wide Web are facilitating a new intensity in the application of knowledge to economic activity.

Writing about this, Peter Drucker declares in his celebrated book The Age of Discontinuity that knowledge not only heralds an epoch-making changeover, but also denotes and signifies a landmark and milestone – a historical discontinuity with the past – in the journey of human civilisation. Drucker further states that “….as long as it is in the book, it is only information ….when a man applies the information to do something (only then) it does become knowledge.

Thanks to the progress in the Information and Communication Technologies, the knowledge about working with competition and eventually winning this running battle, is available to the entrepreneur in the palm of his hand. ‘Intellectual Property’, and not physical property, is the crucial component in this context. The rider, however, is that the knowledge worker needs to be a learner lifelong; he must adapt continuously to the changing opportunities, the ever-evolving business formats and demanding work practices.

A political vision conducive to the creation of a knowledge society mandates the involvement of a free press, a vibrant legislature, an independent judiciary, and a transparent government. While the concept and consequence of the knowledge society in India has made its mark on the lives of the urban elite, it has not yet had any impact on the lives of the people below the poverty line. While the rest of the world is marching and migrating towards a knowledge-driven society, even after six decades of independence, when a plethora of welfare schemes focussed on the uplift and empowerment of the poor are in place, it is a paradox that a vast majority of the population in the country is still remains impoverished.

Further, the knowledge society in India has not been able to totally divorce itself from the traditional past, on account of which the progress in this regard has been rather tardy and sporadic. The economic system has been confronting as many challenges as opportunities.

Nevertheless, these drawbacks have not been able to prevent India from rising and ranking to be a premium knowledge society, wherein Information and Communication Technology function as the kingpin in generating wealth and employment. The main theme and major purpose of the book under review provide an answer to this enigma.

Explaining the rationale and reach of his book, Debal SinghRoy, states: “This study analyses the dynamics of knowledge society in India that have produced an era of both hope and despair in the interconnected world. It shows that despite being circumscribed by the pre-existing caste, ethnic, gender, and spatial divides and marginality, knowledge society has brought into being new occupational momentum, mobility, and choice, new scope of breaking the barriers of marginality, developing criticality against domination, and carving out space for construction of praxis of knowledge for liberty.”

In the ten chapters, running into 350 pages, the author has given a “detailed, subtle, and fascinating account” of the knowledge society in India. The book examines the social context and historical perspective of this evolution. Proceeding from empirical data collected in different cities/towns/villages located all over the country, along with a vast body of secondary sources of information, the author examines the interrelated processes leading to the establishment of the knowledge society in India.

The analysis includes resultant implications and repercussions on the social, economic, and cultural facets in the environment. According to the author, Indian society has been built on unequal distribution of economic resources, acute differences in social status, and concentration of political power in the hands of a few; and this has led a large section of the population to stay marginalised.

It is the fond hope of the author that the advent of the knowledge society will break new ground and deliver the downtrodden from their dreadful despair, and bring some sunshine into their lives.

The massive and methodical research work behind this volume is, indeed, remarkable and praiseworthy. A point of discontent, however, is that he seems to have a penchant for composing lengthy and long-winded sentences, containing multiple ideas and thoughts. Barring this handicap, which hampers easy reading and quick comprehension, the book is an excellent addition to the literature in this field.

TOWARDS A KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY — New Identities in Emerging India: Debal K. SinghaRoy;

Cambridge University Press, 4381/4, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002.

Rs. 895.

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