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By:

Anil D. Salve

21 March 2026 at 8:11:09 pm

A Drought of Wisdom in an Ocean of Information

We live in an age where information is everywhere. With a single click, we can access news from across the world, thousands of opinions, countless videos and endless claims. Knowledge has never been so accessible. Yet, in this overwhelming flow of information, something increasingly scarce is discernment-the ability to distinguish what deserves our belief from what deserves our doubt. Information and knowledge are not the same. Reading, watching or hearing something does not automatically...

A Drought of Wisdom in an Ocean of Information

We live in an age where information is everywhere. With a single click, we can access news from across the world, thousands of opinions, countless videos and endless claims. Knowledge has never been so accessible. Yet, in this overwhelming flow of information, something increasingly scarce is discernment-the ability to distinguish what deserves our belief from what deserves our doubt. Information and knowledge are not the same. Reading, watching or hearing something does not automatically make it true. We need the ability to verify information, understand its context, recognise its purpose and only then form an opinion. In the digital age, this ability has become one of the most important forms of wisdom. Social media has transformed the way information travels. WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms have made communication faster, wider and more accessible. But the same speed that connects society can also overwhelm it. Information often reaches us before facts do. A headline is read before the full story. A short video is watched without knowing what happened before or after it. A photograph is circulated without its original context. A message arrives with the familiar words, “Forwarded as received,” and within minutes it may reach thousands of people. By the time the truth catches up, the rumour may already have done its work. The problem becomes even more serious when misinformation is deliberately created and circulated. Rumours may be planted not merely to mislead individuals but to divert public attention from an important issue, create suspicion, damage someone's reputation or push society towards a particular narrative. A distraction does not always need to be completely false. Sometimes a small piece of truth is mixed with exaggeration, selective facts or emotional language. The result can be more powerful than an outright lie because it appears believable. This is how narratives are manufactured. Social media platforms can become powerful tools in this process. A repeated claim begins to look familiar, and familiarity is often mistaken for truth. A provocative post attracts attention. Thousands of reactions create the impression that “everyone” believes it. One emotional video triggers another, comments intensify the mood, and before facts have an opportunity to speak, public sentiment may have already shifted. This is where mob psychology enters the picture. A society can move from calm to anger, suspicion to trust, or optimism to fear with surprising speed. People who would ordinarily think carefully may react differently when they see thousands of others expressing outrage, fear or hostility. The individual begins to follow the crowd, and the crowd begins to reinforce the individual. The danger is not limited to negative emotions. The same mechanism can also be used positively-to mobilise people for social causes, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, public awareness and community action. Technology itself is neither wise nor foolish. Its impact depends on how information is created, amplified and consumed. The greatest danger, therefore, is not that we have too much information. It is that we may lose the habit of thinking while consuming it. We are increasingly becoming consumers of information rather than creators of thought. Everyone has access to information today, but access does not necessarily mean understanding. The boundaries between a rumour and a report, an opinion and a fact, popularity and truth are becoming increasingly blurred. A post does not become true because thousands of people have liked it. A video does not become evidence merely because it has gone viral. An opinion does not become a fact because it is expressed confidently. An idea does not become correct simply because it confirms what we already believe. This last point deserves particular attention. We often accept information not because it is accurate, but because it is comfortable. We are naturally attracted to information that confirms our existing beliefs and suspicious of information that challenges them. In the digital world, this tendency can be amplified by algorithms that repeatedly expose us to content similar to what we have already watched, liked or shared. Gradually, we may find ourselves living inside an information bubble where we hear many voices-but mostly voices that agree with us. That is not diversity of information. It is an illusion of certainty. Discernment does not mean doubting everything. It means thinking before believing. It means asking simple but powerful questions: Who is saying this? What is the evidence? What is the context? What may be missing? Who benefits if I believe it? And have I heard the other side? These questions may take only a few seconds, but they can prevent hours, days or even years of misunderstanding. This responsibility is particularly important for the younger generation. Children today are growing up in an environment of unprecedented information exposure. They can encounter more information in a few hours than earlier generations might have encountered in weeks. Therefore, education cannot merely teach students how to collect, remember and reproduce information. It must teach them how to question, verify, analyse and interpret it. A student who can write the correct answer in an examination may be academically successful. But a student who knows how to ask the right question is better prepared for life. The classroom of the future must therefore produce not merely informed students, but thinking citizens. They must learn that forwarding a message is also a form of responsibility. Sharing a post is not an innocent act when it can affect someone's reputation, create public fear or influence social behaviour. The challenge becomes even greater in the age of Artificial Intelligence. AI can generate information, images, audio and video with extraordinary speed and sophistication. The distinction between what is real and what merely appears real may become increasingly difficult. In such a world, human judgment becomes more valuable, not less. Technology can produce an answer in seconds. It cannot automatically tell us whether that answer deserves our trust. Some answers require experience. Some require context. Many require the ability to think independently. We have more information, more technology and more connectivity than any previous generation. Yet our real challenge is to preserve something technology cannot manufacture for us: the capacity to think for ourselves. The ocean of information will only become larger. The question will no longer be, “How much information do we have?” The more important questions will be: What should we accept? What should we question? What should we verify? And what should we reject? No technology can completely answer these questions for us. No number of likes can substitute for evidence. No viral trend can replace judgment. No majority can turn misinformation into truth. That responsibility belongs to human beings. Information can tell us what happened. Discernment helps us understand what it means, why it happened, what may be missing from the story and how we should respond. Perhaps, therefore, the greatest educational challenge of our time is not to teach people how to find more information. They already know how to do that. The greater challenge is to teach them how to pause-to pause before believing, to pause before reacting, to pause before forwarding and to pause before joining the crowd. Because sometimes the most intelligent response to information is not an immediate reaction, but a moment of reflection. The ocean is already around us. It is growing deeper every day. What we need now is not more information to swim through it-but the wisdom to know which direction to take. (The writer is the Principal of Podar International School, Ausa, Latur. Views personal.)

The Truth About Ultra-Processed Foods

Writer: Dr. Rizwan Pinjari
Dr. Rizwan Pinjari
Oct 16, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Processed Foods

In today’s health-conscious world, the term “Ultra Processed Foods” (UPFs) frequently surfaces in discussions about diet and nutrition. These foods are often viewed as unhealthy, though opinions vary on their necessity and role in modern lifestyles. Before diving into these debates, let’s first define UPFs. According to the NOVA classification system, developed by Brazilian researchers, UPFs are foods that undergo extensive industrial processing and contain additives like colourants, emulsifiers, and flavour enhancers to improve taste, texture, and shelf life. These processes transform the original ingredients into products that bear little resemblance to their natural form.


Depending on the level of processing, foods are classified into four categories: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods. Each category reflects a different stage in transforming raw ingredients into consumable products.

1. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods include fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk, which have no added ingredients or undergo minimal processing. These are the closest to their natural state.

2. Processed ingredients refer to items such as salt, sugar, and oils, which are not eaten on their own but are added to foods to enhance flavour or shelf life.

3. Processed foods combine unprocessed foods with processed ingredients, such as homemade dishes or pickles. These are typically prepared at home using basic methods.

4. Ultra-processed foods, on the other hand, are factory-made and contain ingredients rarely found in a home kitchen, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, artificial colours, and flavours.


The United Nations (UN) has declared 2016–2025 as the Decade of Action on Nutrition, recognising the growing need to address dietary challenges worldwide. In this context, ultra-processed foods have been highlighted as a global crisis, contributing significantly to the rise of non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, which are reaching epidemic levels in many parts of the world. Despite the growing awareness of the health risks associated with ultra-processed foods (UPFs), their production and consumption continue to rise at an alarming rate. This surge is largely due to the appeal of their taste, convenience, extended shelf life, wide availability, and relatively low cost, making them a popular choice for many.


According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), UPFs fall into Group C, which includes a wide variety of commercially produced items such as bread, biscuits, mayonnaise, chips, fries, jams, sausages, cakes, breakfast cereals, and refined oils. Other products in this category include artificially flavoured cereals and pulses, mass-produced milk and soft drinks, energy and health drinks, fruit juices, and commercially manufactured ice creams. These foods, despite their widespread consumption, are heavily processed and often contain artificial additives that can have adverse effects on health over time.


To effectively reduce the intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), it’s essential to adopt mindful habits that promote healthier eating choices.


Each of these steps can make a significant difference in reducing reliance on processed foods and ensuring a more balanced and nutritious diet.


Despite the harmful effects of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), the global food industry faces significant challenges. A key concern is the reduction of post-harvest losses, which occur when food is wasted after harvesting but before reaching consumers. Additionally, extending the shelf life of raw materials and preserving perishable foods is critical, especially in areas with limited refrigeration and storage access.


There is also a strong push to promote the growth of food processing industries, as they play a vital role in ensuring that food remains available and affordable for a growing global population. While addressing these concerns, it is equally important to strike a balance that prioritises health.


This delicate balance between food security, convenience, and accessibility on one side and health on the other poses a pressing challenge for policymakers, researchers, and the food industry. So, do you have an answer? The time to act is now.


(The author is a food processing expert. Views personal.)

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