A Journey Called Research
How did I come to the world of research and what did I learn from it?
What is research, and what does it mean to go out in the field and collect data?
These are the questions I had a little idea about before coming to the college (for my bachelor’s). But fortunately, my college was highly research-oriented, and in my first semester, I had a course on research methodology. And after that course, I had some sense about the above two questions, but I was yet to apply that knowledge empirically? My bachelor’s degree was very dynamic as it allowed me to design it the way I wanted. This degree also required the students to do hands-on research projects with equivalent credits to the theoretical papers. And, therefore from the second semester, I had the opportunity to go out to the field and apply my learnings.
My first research project was titled ‘An Experimentation of Eco-Cooling Concept in India.’ In this project, we, a team of six members, were trying to gauge the effectiveness of a cooling device first implemented in Bangladesh with satisfactory outcomes. The device only consisted of discarded bottles and a cardboard/wooden grid. We all were novices in the field of research and were trying to apply the learnings from our Research Methodology class. You can say that our research project was low-key action research, as we were trying to find out some solutions for an existing social problem. So, we conducted structured interviews in Delhi to know the suitable locations for installing the device (eco-cooler). And we further wanted to know whether people were interested in having it in their house. We interviewed a total of thirty-eight participants from different localities of Delhi.
And therefore, we were going to install the device in the homes of a few participants. However, at that time, we did not have any idea about what type of research we were doing. You would say that it is impossible to conduct research even without knowing its type. But it was true. Also, we thought before the project that only data collection means research, so we did not do any review of literature, nor did we write a research report (the most vital part). But I shall request you to pardon us; we were only beginners! Unfortunately, the lack of experience and poor planning made our project a disaster, and in the end, we did not even install a single eco-cooler anywhere.
In my second research project, again a collaborative effort (but with different members), I had the opportunity to visit a slum in Delhi. In this project, we used a survey research design and FGD (Focus Group) method to know about the level of awareness related to cleanliness and hygiene among the adult population of the slum. And we covered more than a hundred participants. I would emphasize here that this project was way more refined than the project described earlier. We got our basics right in this project. We very well knew our universe and what formed our target population. We even did a pilot study to check the effectiveness of our research tools.
Interestingly, I also used the research software SPSS to process and analyze our data for the first time. In this project, I also learned how to build rapport with the research participants and why it is essential. And in the end, we were able to write a satisfactory research report. And, I felt that I came very close to something called research through this project. It was a great experience to finally get a sense of doing research.
In my third project, I got a chance to explore the unexplored! I was doing a project concerning neglected and dilapidated monuments of a region called Mehrauli in Delhi. Mehrauli also houses the world heritage site of Qutub Minar. In this project, we aimed to document the lesser-known monuments (tombs, forts, mosques, courtyards, etc.) of the area (Mehrauli) using historical sources and archival materials. Some of the monuments were encroached upon by people for their personal uses, leaving them unattended by the government authorities. Negligence of the conservation bodies left some of the monuments to turn into ruins. We felt that our initiative could bring some of these monuments into the limelight by harnessing their historical and aesthetic potential and telling their historical value to the people.
However, there was one limitation with this research project: it needed to be completed in four months. In this short timeframe, we had to do everything from forming our research questions/objectives to collecting data and reviewing the literature, analyzing data and writing the research report (the most daunting task!), and finally, giving recommendations to the authorities. But, as it was a collective work, our duties were diversified, and all of us contributed collaboratively. We also prepared a map with the help of our mentor to locate the monuments within the area. No one had ever documented these monuments before using a map. And, I feel that maps can be beneficial for the purpose of historical research like ours.
For me personally, this project was again a great learning curve. And, among all the stages of research, I used to enjoy field visits the most. Moreover, this project allowed us to glimpse the artistic beauty of older periods (of many great dynasties who ruled Delhi). These monuments and ruins had many stories to tell, but alas! There was no one to listen to them.
After this project, I did one more project on rainwater harvesting on my university campus, but I will not elaborate on that for the sake of engagement; I think you may be feeling a little bored by now!
However, this year, I wanted to do something different with my accumulated knowledge of research; therefore, I decided to do solo research; you can say an amateurish kind of research just for fun! This experimental research concerned a particular custom that is followed widely in mainland India. In most parts of North India, newlywed brides are supposed to stay inside the house for a specific period. The course of time may vary from person to person, and it may be one month or even many years in some cases. The duration is also dependent upon the economic circumstances of the family. During this period, women could do everything, but they could not step outside the house. It is because in Indian culture women are forebearers of the reputation and dignity of the family, and their defilement can mean the loss of prestige to the family; thus, women are protected in the name of honor of the family.
So, essentially, I wanted to know the perception of women regarding this particular custom. And to gauge the perception of women, I conducted twenty semi-structured interviews of married women from different caste groups and age groups. I wanted to know whether the level of education results in a comparatively modern outlook towards the custom or it stands strong due to the rigid social laws. However, I got mixed opinions. I found that some younger women were supportive of the custom, while some older women thought the custom was self-defeating. They had contradictory viewpoints. Although I tried to be objective neutral in my approach; however, I was impressed with some of the answers. For example, to one of the questions, one younger woman replied that breaking down the custom would lead to empowerment and would make the women more independent. And, I was highly impressed with the answer! On another occasion, one older woman said that according to her, this custom is taking society backward by not allowing women to contribute economically.
But, so far, I have only completed the data collection process; the rest of the work still remains to be done. However, it has been an outstanding experience for me until now, and I hope to get some exciting results from this work.
To summarise, I would like to say that one does not need to be in a university or college for doing research. Everyone can be a researcher in their own meaningful ways because our world is so complex, and we have only a little knowledge of it, and a whole universe of great secrets is still ready to be discovered; you just need to look around yourself and be curious enough to find that researcher in you.
Thank You!
*Interested folks can check out these research reports to learn about my research journey.
