Simple things.. Are they Really Simple ?

Monday, July 31, 2006

Do you pay for Knowledge ?

Paying for knowledge in unheard in our part of earth for a long period. The culture of paying knowledge is picking up only now, but at the slow pace. 'Knowledge' I mean here is any output that comes out of brain. It could be a music piece, poetry, books, a report etc.

I am not a great soul of paying knowledge since my childhood. Even some 5 years before, I dont even had the sense that one need to pay the intellect of others if we need so. In my home town, there is a music shop. Seven years back, they use to sell the cinema songs recorded finely in a T-Series cassettes. In one cassette, you will get two movies. Also you will get it for half the rate of an original one that carries the songs of one movie. Both the buyer and supplier were happy. They are business people, they should be knowing about their 'practice' and would have properly treated well the concern people at 'Respectable' department. But I never knew that I am harming an industry in a small way. After sometime I lost touch with that shop and I happened to visited that place recently. To my surprise, they have turned to be a 'Good-Man'. They stopped completely selling the pirated songs on CDs and Tapes. I was suprised. I felt happy. Awareness has reached the places which I never dreamed of .

But this transformation I could see only in a very few places/people. In chennai, there are few places where the books are sold on the roads and street shops. I once peeped into one shop and was astonished to see some books which worth Rs.1400+ was available for Rs.60. If bargained, easily one can get it for Rs.40. He doesn't know the value of the topic on which book was written.For the shopkeeper, it is one another book.

I noticed one such pirated book in the hands of a well educated guy who is working in the knowledge industry. I was telling him to discontinue such purchases, but in turn he was telling me a wonderful philosophy - 'Be like a Indian in India'. Meaning - in the money you earn here, you dont need to have such unwanted consiousness. What a great economic thought.But no, I am not able to buy his idea. Atleast now we should change our attitude we have towards 'Knowledge'. 'Knowledge' as a substance is not at all Free. But the change must come from both the sides. From the other side, I could see some changes. The book publishing houses has now come forward to publish the paper back edition of select few books. The prices are really a better when compared with the Hard-Cover one. But from the musical industry side, I dont see any such major step towards making it accesible for the mass.

They should now come out with a model which must have an in-built 'Revnue Stream' aiming at catering to the mass. For ex: establish a portal, ask the user to pay Rs.1000 per month and he can download 5oo songs. The charges may vary for the time period. The latest may be charged high.

After getting this enlightment, I purchase only branded tapes. Now I am planning to for a laptop. What is a laptop with out our favorite numbers. But there are certain songs I cannot get from any where. So finally I would end up in paying the guy who has this collection. So where the money goes ??? Not to the right destiny. I have to instally the MS-Office suite in my laptop. I am not working for Mckinsey to buy a licensed suite. Again I will end up paying to somebody. Literally speaking, I am not at all happy. Something needs to be done. With all consiosness on this issue, I am not able to stand by it fully. I am not able to follow it fully. So what is the solution ... if you have one such..why dont you share it with me!!?