Knowledge is Power

I penned this down, when I was in a group interacting with an elite couple who where into social reformation or transformation through print media and stuff (whatever you want to call it - those big words). So, this thought quickly came to my mind – Knowledge = power? Whoopa! I found this only after coming to Delhi. If you’ve got knowledge about a particular subject, then you’ve mastered it. So, people will listen to you because you’ve got knowledge!
How does one gain knowledge? Knowledge in what sense? Is it formal or informal? Institutional education or life experiences i.e., the understanding of things in life as you experience life, is this also knowledge? Can knowledge be gained only in institutions? Is it not found in the market place? I have found people and children in the market place to be more knowledgeable than school/college going students.
The Rich, relatively, have a higher degree of knowledge. I guess it’s because they have money to go to good posh schools where they have better facilities and are given more exposure to things in life. Now, what about the poor? How does a poor person gain this knowledge? Who tells him that unless he goes to school, he will not get education? It is a vicious cycle, which I have come across many times. Parents are poor and not educated, so, they also do not force their kids to go to school. They are not bothered or worried if their kids are not in school in the morning. They are just worried about how to get the next meal for the family. There not to be blamed because they are not aware of the seriousness about education or acquiring knowledge.
I totally respect the elite couple who took the time to come and share. I was wondering, “Just because they have wide and deep knowledge on something, the entire group was glued to them. Otherwise, who would listen to them? If I bring a poor couple or an individual who has not had an education, but has knowledge about a particular subject, would you listen carefully?
So, I was wondering - if one makes people think, can we see a difference or a change in the society?