Nearly all religions, but particularly Islam lays claim to be the source of all human knowledge embedded in the holy book of the Quran, and its orthodox clergy, namely the mullahs and Imams, claim great epithets for themselves, such as Light of Scholars, etc. They also lay claim to be regarded as holy because they are experts in interpreting the Quran and Hadith and Sharia law. Personally I do not have much time for these people just because they sport long beards or wear heavy turbans (who someone mischievously likened to a scooter tyre!). For me real knowledge is contained in the hard work of researchers in University labs and workshops and in scientific research papers. The Encyclopedia Britannica represented the sum total of all the summarized knowledge as exemplified by experimentation, and cross-referenced scholarship. And while this monumental work made accessible the contributions of thousands of scholars and researchers from all over the world in nearly all known disciplines, it lay no claims to holiness of any kind, nor did one have to bend down and kiss some holy mullah’s hand in abject surrender of one’s critical faculties. Nor were there any threats of retribution and punishment in the hereafter for one’s ”sins” committed in life. Knowledge, pure and simple, was offered in the volumes of this great work which illuminated millions of lives, and lighted innumerable candles of understanding for all of us who sought to increase our knowledge on any particular topic or subject. The role of this great work has now been taken over by the Internet, for which we should all be grateful, as access to information and knowledge is instantaneous and comes updated everytime. The Encyclopedia Britannica is itself available now in digital format online. There is still some wistfulness in losing touch with the printed editions of it. The last one came out in 2015, but its online version continues to inform all who care for unbiased research and verifiable scientific truth. In my poem here titled Encyclopedia Britannica, I am offering my thanks in a tribute to this great tradition and source of knowledge.

encyclopaedia brittanica