Blessing 100^100 and counting....

"Vidya Vinayam Dadati"

An age old Sanskrit verse which simply means "Knowledge invokes humility."

The truly knowledgeable never profess their knowledge. They strive to learn as much possible and have a childlike curiosity about everything despite their expertise. Such people respect not only the equally knowledgeable but also the less enlightened. That is wisdom. Such is the hallmark of wise men.

Knowledge is not a factor of education alone. Education is necessary. It plays an important role but has limitations. True knowledge is a combination of education, curiosity, a zest to learn, real hard work and experience.

Having said that, wisdom is not restricted by age. A combination of all the above factors can sometimes take years and sometimes just a while

Intelligence however, is different. Every living creation on earth is born with intelligence - designed, programmed & conditioned by perhaps some super intelligent system (the magnitude of which is well beyond human comprehension) - to help sustain itself. The degree of intelligence varies depending on basic creature needs. Perhaps better termed as 'Survival Efficiencies' - for the more scientifically inclined. 'Reaction to stimuli' for example, falls in this category.

Intelligence therefore, is not a factor of demographics & is a variable. It is also a relative quantity and need/role based. A homemaker has sufficient intelligence to smoothly run a house. A working woman possesses intelligence of a different kind as she has more complex roles to play. It is unfair to judge who among the two is more intelligent.

Education creates literacy. It exposes us to vast opportunities for learning and growth. It enables easier/faster comprehension processes. But its value ends here. Intelligence and Education come together to create an 'Intellect'.

Intellect is the individual capacity to decipher, assimilate, disintegrate and eventually create something qualitative (at the very least) or quantitative from every learning/observation process. Qualitative process can be as simple as a thought. Quantitative can be an action.
Again we see that Intellect has nothing to do with religion, region, caste, creed, sex or race. While 'formal' education can be limited/controlled by external factors, knowledge and Intellect is one's own.

Education can be had from teachers, parents, nature, schools, colleges and so on. Intellect however, depends on the individual alone. Therefore, if institute 'X' is deemed a premier institute, it does not mean that 'X' can create Intelligence. It does not mean lower intelligence transforms into higher intelligence simply by institutional association/guidance. Premier institutes only choose candidates with higher intelligence and groom them to tackle future challenges better. They only facilitate access to more knowledge & education.

Simply put, this means, Intellect is not a monopoly of a select few. Also, as stated earlier, intellect may develop early or naturally over time. Not even all 'premier' facilities put together, can claim to own every truly intellectual in its entirety.

An institution that equates knowledge or education to monetary equivalent, does not deserve its place in history. Price tagging knowledge is demeaning its entire premise. Google and Wikipedia are perhaps the only institutions till date, that qualify to be deemed an 'Universal University.' They are perhaps the only two modern day inventions that have honored and understood the meaning of true knowledge. They do not attach propriety to knowledge and therefore, are the true disciples of the religion called 'wisdom'.

I am lucky to have associated (from the very onset) with people of extremely high intellect & some really wise as well. Please note, not everyone was termed wise, as I intend to preserve the sanctity of every term I have described above. I assign myself in the category of average-to-moderately-high intelligence with enormous room for development. Therefore, not even all the knowledge I had at my disposal, helped me reach the pinnacle. It perhaps failed to percolate my intellect or more likely, is my personal failure.

During my professional life so far, I have had the opportunity to come in contact with people, whose mental faculties can give a super-computer some serious complex. This is an absolutely honest statement delivered without any sarcasm, humour or attempt at levity. Frankly I cannot thank my lucky stars enough for all of the above. I do however, have reservations against the elves, that foxed me to challenge several thoughts of almost all of these people :(

I wish, all wise and knowledgeable people received a trademark stamp from the heavens above, so people like me had lesser chances of embarrassing ourselves. Again, please note, that the wise will never laugh/ridicule you. You will ridicule yourself on overstepping your mark in front of the wise.

Hopefully I have learnt my lessons. Some of the people I spoke of above, I would love to have as my guide/mentor/teacher....or any role that will help me learn from them. It is perhaps too much to hope for but is a dream nevertheless.

I also know people who need the stamp of a 'premier' institute to prove their intellectual prowess to the world. They live in the shadow of that stamp and are forever relegated to proving their worth to themselves. I pity them and am glad to not suffer such complex. There are definitely some refreshing examples from such institutes who do justice to the word "premier".

To an extent I take pride in the fact that I do not need an institute to prove my worth. I only pray for more opportunities to help better myself.