The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.~ Rabindranath TagoreThe ethos of our current education system has let loose two social forces: eager acquisition and narrow competition. These forces are creating more consumers and fewer contributors in the education space. Economic prosperity means nothing unless it creates equal and rightful opportunities for one and all. This can only happen if we become sensitive to and subsequently address issues pertaining to discrimination, social or economic. We will fail in our duties if we cannot uphold our unity, being one of the most diverse countries in the world, through realization of a higher purpose of being. Education can open our eyes to such a realization. Nobility of thought and purpose can only emerge if one is able to keep individual differences at bay and consider one and all to be a part of the same family, leaving no room for discrimination. Liberal education is the root of such noble thoughts and thus a great social enabler. The 'Right to Education Act', passed by the Indian Parliament on the fourth day of August two thousand and nine (4.8.2009), underscores the importance of building a strong nation for the future by enabling equal and compulsory access to education in the country.The second issue of IIMK Society & Management Review highlights issues pertaining to education in modern India. Education is particularly important considering the demographic dividend India is poised to enjoy over other developed economies of the world. As a young nation growing out of the world's oldest civilization, India should make best use of this dividend, a concern highlighted by many contemporary thought leaders. Leveraging the demographic dividend, however, requires great investments in skill, technology, and quality education. For instance, investments in information technology similar in the form to the National Knowledge Network may make quality education highly accessible. Making funds and skills available at the right place and time may help build a scalable education system with a flexible governance structure that leverages our competencies in information technology and management. Building such a system requires a close working relationship between the private and the public sector.Implementation of a robust education system cannot materialize without social inclusion, especially women empowerment. Empowering women and making them an integral part of India's growth story will not only address the scarcity of skilled workforce, but also help build a stronger nation. Investment in women empowerment can bear fruit if we as a society can succeed in destroying the prevalent occupational stereotyping of women thereby making the best use of her skill. The consequences of such an endeavour are profound and far-reaching. An effort to improve gender diversity across all sectors is a reflection of this enterprise.

Information and communication technologies hold immense potential to enhance our lives and societal well-being. However, digital spaces have also emerged as a fertile ground for fake news campaigns and hate speech, aggravating polarization and posing a threat to societal harmony. Despite the fact that this dark side is acknowledged in the literature, the complexity of polarization as a phenomenon coupled with the socio-technical nature of fake news necessitates a novel approach to unravel its intricacies. In light of this sophistication, the current study employs complexity theory and a configurational approach to investigate the impact of diverse disinformation campaigns and hate speech in polarizing societies across 177 countries through a cross-country investigation. The results demonstrate the definitive role of disinformation and hate speech in polarizing societies. The findings also offer a balanced perspective on internet censorship and social media monitoring as necessary evils to combat the disinformation menace and control polarization, but suggest that such efforts may lend support to a milieu of hate speech that fuels polarization. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Research on fake news and related acts of deception in the domain of human resource management is growing but still in its infancy. This escalating crisis necessitates immediate attention, as fake news evolves into an all-pervasive phenomenon that surpasses domain boundaries and affects organizations at scale. This study analyzes the growing corpus of research on fake news and concomitant acts of deceit in the domain of human resource management through an integrative review of 64 scholarly papers published in peer-reviewed journals over the last 30 years. We identify key themes and draw attention to gaps that merit scrutiny. We then propose an open systems theory-led conceptual framework that elucidates the relationships between fake news, related acts of deceit and its effects on various facets of human resource management practice and serves as a guide to advance contributions in the field. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.