Cl. Nelson Mudaliar sdb
DIVYADAAN, FEBRUARY 27, 2012: "A fully developed and matured person knows what is happening around him/her." The Second Year Bachelor in Philosophy brothers attended a Seminar on Social Research on February 24 and 25, 2012, conducted at Divyadaan to facilitate the overall development of the brothers especially in the field of social research and its allied methods.
On February 24, Fr. Barnabe D'Souza, sdb and his team comprising of Ms. Srividya, Ms. Divya and Ms. Marina gave a bird's eye view of the basic elements of Social Research and delivered sessions on the same. The 'what' and the 'why' of Social Research were clearly put forward. Fr. Barnabe took the introductory session connecting Social Research with our religious calling. Later, Ms. Divya took a session on the 'Research Process' and enumerated the 'Tools of Data Collection'. During the break, the brothers interacted with Fr. Barnabe and his team asking them about their experiences in this field. Ms. Srividya made a presentation on the topic 'Interview'. She explicated the various types of interviews, the design of an Interview schedule along with a critical appreciation of its advantages and its disadvantages'.
At the end of the input sessions, the brothers were divided into small workshops and were asked to prepare questions related to the socio-economic status and challenges faced by the following target audience: vendors around bus-stops and railway station, beggars, street children, auto-rickshaw drivers and migrants. The team helped us prepare ourselves to meet and interact with them. The afternoon was kept aside for actual field work. The brothers went to various places to conduct their research work. Each of the brothers had their own enriching experiences and gained a lot from the interaction. This field work helped them to open our eyes to the outside reality. In the evening, Fr. Barnabe helped them analyze the data which they had collected. The brothers sorted out their research and made a synthesis of the data into one single report.
On the second day of the Seminar on Social Research, Ms. Marina and Ms. Divya highlighted the Ethics of Social Research. Ms. Marina explained the aspect of the 'Problem Tree' and the 'Objective Tree' and informed the gathering about its necessity to get an overall picture of present situations. She enumerated the causes that lead to other related issues and put forth possible ways to tackle these issues. The brothers once again met in their respective groups to discuss possible responses and lines of action to address such issues. They had rich experiences and field work data at their disposal.
Fr. Barnabe hit on the point that in every situation one needs to "think, understand and then act". The following of this maxim would assure effectiveness in work and bring about a lot of good to the society. At the end of the seminar the brothers felicitated and thanked Fr. Barnabe and his team for sharing their expertise and experience. They viewed it as a valuable preparation for their future ministry and expressed their gratitude for such an insightful seminar.