It is amusing, at the same time sad, to note that we, as a country, have our priorities mixed up.
When wealth was the deciding factor in establishing the superiority of a Country in the 60's, 70's,80's and 90's , Indians waxed eloquent about the importance of knowledge while showing utter disregard for the word 'wealth' or 'profit'. We set up higher learning institutions of repute like IIT's, IIM's, REC's, IISc, IIFT, TISS, BITS, IRMA and even the level of education offered by the limited Engineering and Medical Colleges of various Universities was excellent. Due to the averred 'socialist' policies pursued by the Government, we scoffed at wealth accumulation and profit was deemed to be a dirty word. The perception of an industrialist was that of a scum or a thief. The resultant stagnation in the economy set us back by a few decades.
Now, when it is clear that we are in the era of Knowledge Economy, we Indians are funnily chasing the dollars at the expense of quality education. Our university syllabus are out of date, not forward looking and a degree is obtained with minimum effort. Heck! there is hardly any effort required. The higher learning institutions mentioned in the previous chapters have diluted their quality - REC allowing inferior students from NRI quota to study is a case in point - and we are churning out graduates and post gratduates in hoardes who are hardly employable and who lacks the skill sets required to succeed in the Knowledge Economy. Knowledge is a premium with our younger generation. And we are likely to miss out on the opportunity to grab the world leadership once again. India, or Bharat, has a rich tradition that is based on a solid foundation of Vedic Knowledge. It will be a travesty of justice, if we do not put it to use now.
