Why Researchers Love Onions (Atomic Essay Day 17)
This afternoon I found myself in conversation with 4 other researchers - a rare but happy coincidence. We were talking about travelling and how as researchers we get to experience the world around us quite differently. In our quest to discover the old, the existing and the new - we get to experience people, culture and places at a much deeper level.
My first field research trip to Bihar in 2015, I remember being extremely surprised. I had this idea in my head of what a small town in India would be like and what the people there would be like. I was surprised to see how wrong I was. That one week was one of the most insightful learning experiences of my life. As I immersed myself in that small town in Bihar, I got to unravel multiple layers of people and of problems I was trying to solve - much like an onion you know.
Onions is an interesting metaphor for the world. Everything is composed of multiple layers - there is the skin i.e. the part of that exists at a superficial level, and then there are layers and layers to uncover. One of the many perks of being a researcher is getting to peel those layers in the world. Can I tell you a secret? There is a bit of crying involved too.
