THE quest for knowledge began not for any fashionable urge for identifying oneself as wise' or learned'. It began for the sake of life itself. At the dawn of civilisation life was very tough and tedious. Tiny men had to face innumerable inimical gigantic forces of nature. To fight against these forces men had to maintain unity amongst themselves. To solve their basic needs of life, viz, food and shelter, the primitive men had to maintain a society based on equality and fraternity. In such a society, individuality was unknown as it is understood now a days. People had to work together, fight together as allied forces against nature. In course of thus fighting, men gradually became aware of some secrets of nature hitherto un-6

known. These secrets helped them to control nature. Such acquisition of the power of controlling nature constitutes knowledge GE and learning. Strictly speaking, knowledge is theoretical and learning is practical. They go hand in hand as theory and practice help each other.

With the growth and development of the primitive simple fraternal society as intricate and complex society knowledge and wisdom have lost their original meaning and spirit. These words are now playing an offensive not against nature but against man himself. The spirit of unity and fraternity has already been lost with the’ decay and disappearance of primitive fraternal society. Like all other material possessions knowledge has also become a property of the few. It has also become a prestigesymbol to some.

A cross-section of our intelligentsia

is proud of identifying themselves as learned' and up-to-date in the sense that they were up-to-date clothes, they eat snacks in up-to-date restaurants, they live in up-to-date houses and they enjoy or witness the spy-thrillers and blue-films in televisions. There is no denying the fact that such signs and symbols speak only about the get-up of a book not the contents.

In the present society situations are created by the authority in power to thrust their news and views upon persons who are prone to accept the outward glamour of things without going deep into the details. The thinking of such persons is moulded to serve the authority in power, and it is through these persons that the whole society is notoriously exploited.

During the British regime, the efficient thought-controlling machinery of the Government used to motivate the

thinking of our people in a definite direction quite opposite to the natonalls-tic line. Newspapers, radios, professional orators were the main tools of controlling thoughts. To Justify the evil designs of the ruling class these machineries used Jugglery of flowery words which were composed mainly by the native educated people. The innocent mass had no other way but to surrender to this glamorous propaganda. But this state of affairs cannot last for an indefinite period. At last came the eventful year of 1947 when the Britishers left the country, left with a parting kick of partion which came as a perdition for both the major communities of the sub-continent — the Muslims of India and the Hindus of Pakistan. Communalism, which was the main tool of dichotomy, became the prime weapon of exploiting the mass. The fallacy committed in 1947 had no chance to be corrected. But

the urge for fraternity of the two communities and a hankering for freedom had not died out. People's upsurge and revolt against exploitation came as the Great Liberation Movement of 1971. Hence came the conception of Secularism as one of the main objectives of Bangladesh.

But a cross-section of our educated men always are in the habit of alienating themselves from the general weal and interest of the common people by playing the dirty game of using man against man. Man is mortal, but the collaborators are immortal. Individual collaborators die only to give birth to a second generation. They are like the Indian mythical giants Shumbha and Nishumbha who by the grace of Brah-mma became immortal for long causing much trouble and pain for peace-loving creations. Historically It is due to such collaborators that the historical fight

of man against nature has changed its course and character to fight against his own species. This is quite contrary to the goal of education and learning.

Now, what is the modern and up-to-date knowledge that we were talking about? Is it a sum total of some visionary and unrealistic Jargon of vocabularies hitherto unheard? The answer is a big No. A Knowledge is modem and up-to-date when it serves humanity in fighting all the up-to-date forces against peace and happiness. Thus, an up-to-date knowledge is a tool for attaining the desired peace and happiness based on fraternal human society. The earth is only a cradle for human civilisation. Man is now matured enough to leave this cradle and advance for other planets with the banner of peace and progress. Is it not unbecoming of us to quarrel with ourselves like adolescent boys? ■