Institutional Visits at XISS - An Experience

Institutional Visits at XISS- An Experience

It has been two months already in XISS, and honestly, it passed in a blink of an eye. I call it a roller coaster ride, with the lyrical classes with regular drum beats of assignments followed by the tunes of Urban field work (UFW)! Well, apart from these, there were occasional institutional visits (IVs), two to be precise, which ensured our excitement level doesn’t lessen and the hunger of learning never gets satiated. Here, I would narrate my experience of the the IVs. 

Just having knowledge based on lectures has a very limited scope pertaining to the skills acquired. For one, students will always begin their career as a novice who has zero experience in this sector. Two, they will no longer be in a learning environment, which means that the new work process could be unpleasant and unsatisfactory. Therefore, at least to prepare a student for the rigors of a working environment, it is important to get them acclimatized to the real world. In the current scenario, the education system in our country has become complacent. Complacent with regard to keep up with the fast-pacing needs of this generation. And therefore, corners have been chopped off to fit the situation. So has the mindset of the system which advocates the idea that students will eventually learn things during their career. Although, this idea holds to a certain extent but yet one cannot ignore the importance of practical exposure, in any field of study. Here comes the role of IVs, designed by the XISS for enhancing the learning aspect of the Rural Management students. By testing the text knowledge with the context that is acquired in the field area and to stimulate thinking, it gives an opportunity to get a picture of how things work at an institutional set up. It helps in extensive grassroots connect and developing understanding of the intricacies behind the modus operandi of different institutions is itself an unique experience. 

The institutes connect to various institutes, NGOs, SHGs and also the reach of the faculty to various district level governmental bodies added the cherry on the cake. It was knowledge enriching and a great learning experience throughout. My first experience was at the Arouse foundation, Gumla, an NGO that began as an outreach program in 1978. During the interactive session with the Director, Fr. Anuranjan Purty S.J., Rector Fr. Christopher Lakra S.J and the Project Officer, Srijan Kishore, I understood the complexities and challenges faced by an NGO in context to the financial and political affairs. The institution closely works with a village, Salyatoi, for encouraging organic mode of farming technique. My group was then taken to that village, where we were given an opportunity to communicate with the villagers. What struck me the most was the anecdote shared by Bandha Pradhan, who was the Gram Vikas Samitee Adhyaksh of Salyatoi. The villagers had no proper occupation due lack of land for irrigation during early eighty’s. They conceived a plan for changing the river’s stream in another direction such that they get sufficient land for agricultural usage and thereby to make a living. These families took the risk of contributing a sum of   ₹ 2000/family and bought a JCB machine. That year their money and efforts, both went in vain. Next year, they began afresh and succeeded. Today the village is a proud producer of rice, potatoes and a number of vegetables under the “Machan Kheti” technique. Inputs like teaching and encouraging the villagers to adopt newer techniques such as the System of rice intensification (SRI) is provided by the Arouse Foundation. Adoption of organic farming by the villagers is another goal for which the institution is working for. 

The next visit was to Khunti, where the group was taken to Asha Kiran Shelter home, which works for rehabilitation of rescued tribal girls from the flesh trade, through formal education and vocational skill development. Their objective as they state is to “turn their scars into stars”. There was Naxal infiltration inside the shelter home post inception in 2009, yet the pillars of the institution stand upright and also they are about to begin with their endeavor of opening up a health center. The very same day we visited “Torpa Rural Development Society for Women”, an SHG which works for livelihood of women. They are involved in Lac cultivation and processing. They have had an award winning initiative of preparing and marketing a health drink which earned a profit of 2.5 lakhs in a period of three to four months. 

In a scurry, we also paid a visit to the District Office of Khunti, where we interacted with the DC, Dr. Manish Ranjan, who gave us a chance to peep into their work milieu. The structured offices and the way they connect to various other districts of the state was shown and explained by the staff there. This, I believe was again an add on to the classroom understanding of the developmental organizations. 

The two visits, no wonder, helped in indulging in a better way with what we study. And also, what adds to the skillset is the individual report that each student provides after imbibing the whole day’s learning, which is all about synthesizing the entire experience into one coherent whole. 

I always believed that connecting to the practicality of matters always wins over innumerable classroom sessions. It should be a concomitant process to make it more stirring, exactly like thousands of self-study materials on how to drive cannot be useful unless one gets on the vehicle and tries to ride it, along with the learning.

 “Machan Kheti” at Salyatoi village,Near Gumla.

Group of twenty-five students along with the Project Officer of Arouse Foundation, Mr.Srijan Kishore,an XISS alumnus, few other XISS alumni and Asst.Prof. Niranjan Sahoo at Gumla.

At District office of Khunti with 

the District CommissionerDr. Manish Ranjan and other officials.

 Students at Asha Kiran Shelter Home,Khunti.

At “Torpa Rural Development Society for Women” 

with Daphne Sequeira, Sister & Directress of the organisation.

Courtesy: Ms. G Geeta Kumari

Department of Rural Management (2017-2019)

My #XISSRanchi Viewpoint - Student Testimonial

Student Testimonial

My #XISSRanchi Viewpoint

by Ms. Sushmita Bajpai

Department of Human Resource Management (2016-2018)

The corporate world fascinated my young mind and it has become even more intriguing now that I have taken my initial steps towards what was once a far-off vision. I believe that being associated with XISS helped me in realizing my dreams by providing me with the necessary skills and environment for industry aligned growth. I have seen an overwhelming difference in the personality of students who have been associated with this institution, and thus I am assured that this college will help me in carving out a respectable career in the dynamic corporate environment.

There isn’t a better feeling in this world than knowing that you made a positive difference in someone else’s life. XISS believes in creating professionals with a difference. The social work gives the students this edge by strengthening the human values in us. I am currently teaching at a Blind School, as a part of this programme. The change in my thought process and value system, due to this programme, is massive.

Coming here has changed me into an independent woman, right from managing everyday chores to my responsibilities at the institution. Be it regular classroom assignments, social work, or the various clubs that function here, a balance has to be maintained which makes life enjoyable/interesting and challenging at the same time.

XISS - Belgium Summer School

Belgium Summer School:
"A Journey hard to put in words"

by Mr. Rajendra Singh Bisht

Department of Rural Management (2016-2018)

Introduction

I was anxiously waiting outside the XISS' staff room for my turn. There was a gamut of thoughts and possible questions in the brain. I was trying to figure out the probable questions and their best possible answers. The people around me didn't help my anxiety, they were too tensed and were busy asking each other questions. Finally, my name was shouted and I entered the room. Once I was inside the room, I held to my calmness and evaded any kind of panic thoughts. I answered to the all the questions of my interview board. Sensing a good chance of making through the interviews, I walked out of interview room. After the remaining interviews, finally the result was declared and yes, I triumphed in it. My journey had just begun.

For several years, XISS selects students for a Summer School programme, organised by the University of Antwerp in Belgium. And the above interview experience was a part of its selection methodology. This year it was three of us who made it through this system: Me, Ankita and Eleza. Every year these summer schools have themes where students of different countries across the globe participate. This year's theme was Europe: Diversity and Migration.           

For me, this journey had an entirely different meaning. For an Army ward who comes from a small village in the northern Himalayan state of Uttrakhand, I was always fascinated by the valour and charm of Indian Army and apparently, a trip to a foreign land was never planned or something I aspired. This trip had so many first timers for me. First flights, Airport, international flight, first to Europe and moreover first time I would be exposed to talents from multiple countries. The journey began from Ranchi on 24 June 2017. I boarded my first flight. The excitement was brewing inside me. We were to travel by Air India, entity which is going through so much uncertainty.  I was certain and convinced my colleagues, who were accompanying me that I would take the window seat. Like any other typical window seat seeker, I was curious to visualize the outside scenes.

Thereafter on 25th June, we all boarded our first international flight. As I stepped into this gigantic carrier, I was amazed by its interior. For years I have heard about Boeing, but to be physically inside it, it was something special. I could not sleep in the entire journey. I kept navigating into the tablet placed in front me. I could see the movies, TV series and other trivial information like altitude, temperature and flight route kept me busy for 8 hours in the air. From Munich, we boarded our next flight and finally, we landed in our destination country i.e. Brussels. From Brussels, we boarded a Bus and reached to Antwerp. For me, the Bus ride was just a kick start in the journey. Unlike our Indian Buses, these were surprisingly vacant and real fast. In the way, I saw typical western housings and countryside farms. I was ecstatic and kept wondering about the remainder of the journey.

In one hour we reached Antwerp. After a bit of struggle and excruciating long walk around the labyrinth of streets, we finally managed to locate our accommodation hostel. And after some refreshment, we decided to take a walk around in the nearby streets. Since we were already tired with the travel and afternoon walk we decided to check in to our rooms. Outside it was already 8 o'clock in the evening, but the sun was still shinning bright as the sun sets late at around 10 pm. On the next day, our guide Sarah escorted us to campus and in the way she introduced us to the gorgeous architecture during the walk. She also suggested us to discover certain places during our stay. Interestingly Sarah kept us busy and we couldn't realise that we have entered in the campus.  

Summer School: Campus Life      

The campus was housed in a beautiful ancestral architectural marvel. But our classes were in the new building. As I stepped in the class, all eyes fell on me and my fellow mates. We met coordinators, students and some faculties. Then began an intriguing sessions of lectures. In the beginning, our coordinator Mr. Wannes (that is the only part of his name I could remember) asked us to introduce ourselves. I came to know that we were 16 students from 10 different countries (Wow! That is something that gets me crazy). He then introduced us to the programme and its curriculum. He informed the class about the relevance of the current theme "Europe: Diversity and Migration". The summer school provides participants with concrete insights, information and tools based on theoretical perspectives, empirical case studies and field visits. In doing so it reveals the interrelations between the micro-, meso- and macro-level processes concerned allowing for fine-grained and in-depth understandings of the complex relationships between migration and integration processes.

The course had a rich blend of lectures with many practical exposures across the city and to the other Institutions, which shared a migration history. At the end, the course demanded us to present a report based on our choice of topic, which was intimated prior to the beginning of the course. In the sessions that followed for the rest of the course had some thought provoking lessons for me. All the sessions were highly interactive and intriguing. Every time a new term was being discussed in the class. Students were freely interacting with faculties. I too had my share of questions. Mostly they were in relations of the European crisis on refugee or pertinent to India in relevance to the main theme. Every day had a different sub theme for lectures: Education, law, migration theories, city experiences, history etc. This gave us the holistic idea of the problem. The faculties assigned to teach these subjects were experts in their fields.

Social Programmes

To keep the minds fresh and to maximise interaction, fun and interesting social activities were organised during evenings and weekends so we can make the most of our stay in Antwerp. These programmes not only had the opportunity to get to know our classmates and professors in a more informal way but in some cases, we were also able to get in touch with students attending other summer schools at Antwerp Summer University.

Multiple tours were organised to give us the background of migration in the city of Antwerp and on a whole in Belgium. In the first Saturday, a visit was organised to former coal mine of Blegny and countryside. Together we discovered the fascinating episode of Belgian history that illustrated the context of the period in which many migrants came to Belgium. This UNESCO site lies deep under the hilly terrain of Liege province and gave us insights on how coal mining shaped Wallonia's industrial past. In the afternoon we will visit the beautiful countryside. On 4th July, a small quiz was organised by the hostel. Unlike our stressful quizzes in classes or auditoriums, this was pure fun. We got to know this typical Belgian habit (they love quizzing) while competing with students from other summer schools. This interactive game took us on a tour around the globe whilst testing our knowledge of several continents, countries and cultures.

We also visited European Parliament in Brussels. It was a really enriching experience to see the political hub of Europe. A big gigantic building was housing the centre of European politics. There were so many flags on high rise buildings. Almost every country in the world had its presence over there. We were taken on a guided tour to the insides of European Parliament. It was a really astonishing experience to know the functionality of parliament. On the second last day, of course, we were taken to a guided tour of Red Star Line Museum. Earlier a big passenger ship company, it has now been transformed into a historical museum, dedicated entirely to migration and its related stories.

City Exposure       

To understand and relate the academic interactions, the university had organised few walks around the cityscape. We all were exposed to different streets of Antwerp which had significance with respect to migration and diversity. We were taken on a tour to visit spaces across the cities where the immigrant population were residing. Our guide explained us the current situations and predicaments of these people. Our professor who accompanied us on another day explained the social dynamics of immigrant communities. These societies were generally located away from the markets in a compact locality. There were a lot of shops of different communities selling their native country's commodities. I saw some Indian shops. 

Discovering Other Cities                         

Apart from the summer school, I tried to discover other parts of the city with new friends and my fellow mates. We visited shops across the city. Some of us bought things for themselves and their dear ones back home. I was saving my money for electronic gadgets and souvenirs. We also made plans to visit other famous places. We visited Amsterdam in Netherlands. As expected the place was a soothing beauty. Its architecture and ambience were mesmerizing. The temperature reminded me of my native village but rest everything was something I had only seen in movies of Karan Johar's or by Hollywood directors. We visited many parks and museums like Van Gough, Rijsk and also saw a Heineken Brewery. But the stand out part of the journey was the boat ride. It was serene and I saw many boat houses. These boat houses were concept homes to counter sea level rise since Netherlands is already suffering from the rise of water level.

At the second last day, we visited Brugge. For Indians Brugge is really important because our superstar Amir Khan's blockbuster movie PK was filmed. Unlike Amsterdam, Brugge is more natural and has unique building architecture. With the help of maps, we visited multiple museums and churches. At the end, we went for a small boat ride. During the boat ride, I saw how romantic this place was and why so many couples flocked it.

Conclusion

For me, this journey has got imprinted in my memories. I will always cherish this summer school. The two weeks had everything for me: learning, interactions, participations and rich exposure. It is really difficult to put every emotion into words. Certainly, this experience helped me to develop mentally and understand the things on a wider scale. I am thankful to XISS for providing me with such an opportunity to explore another world. It is something that I'll carry forever.

Compiled by: Mr. Timmavajjula Venkata Shashank (Team Obscura)