Mirik College
Context & The Vision
The MissionWhat happens when you take geography out of the textbook and drop it right in the middle of the hills of Darjeeling? Together with the Department of Geography at Mirik College, we designed a 60-hour intensive program that blended classroom learning, hands-on workshops, and fieldwork into one big cauldron.
Instead of only hearing about livelihoods, communities, and human-nature relationships, students needed to experience them firsthand. The aim was simple: learning should not stop at just notes and exams. It should move, ask questions, and sometimes feel uncomfortable in a good way. This approach helps students understand that geography is not abstract—it lives in people's homes, work, and everyday decisions.
Project Structure & Learning Design
The program was divided into three core components, each building on the previous one and guiding students from theory to practice. Just being a part of academic activity, practical training, and on-ground discovery, it was built around curiosity and experience.
The 60-Hour Framework
Classroom-Based Component (20 Hours)
The project began inside the classroom, where students were introduced to key ideas around livelihoods, settlement patterns, regional development, and human-environment relationships. These sessions helped students place tea gardens within a wider geographic and social context, preparing them to approach the field with both curiosity and sensitivity.
Interactive Workshop Component (20 Hours)
Workshops jointly led by faculty members and the Studio 1947 team marked a shift from learning about research to learning how to do research. Students were trained in ethical field engagement, basic data collection, and creating an overall report. Discussions focused not only on what questions to ask, but also on how to ask them and why listening mattered as much as writing the answers.
Fieldwork Component (20 Hours)
Fieldwork formed the heart of the project. This was where concepts from the classroom met lived experience, and where students began to understand geography as something shaped by people's daily lives.
Field Sites & Methodology
The survey was conducted in Mandir Goan (Soureni) and Phuguri, two villages located within a short distance from Mirik. These sites were chosen to understand everyday life within tea plantation regions and to allow students to observe working and living conditions closely.
Students visited households directly, conducting face-to-face surveys to understand income sources, employment patterns, access to basic services, and household challenges. Walking from home to home, listening to personal accounts, and observing surroundings helped ground the survey data in real experiences.
Team Composition & Post-Fieldwork
The TeamFive students from the Department of Geography, Mirik College.
One faculty member from Mirik College, providing academic guidance throughout.
Three members from Studio 1947, supporting research design, field coordination, and analysis.
This collaborative structure allowed students to learn within an academic framework while also being exposed to professional research practices and mentorship.
Fieldwork did not mark the end of the learning process. After surveys were completed, students made weekly visits to the Studio 1947 office, where they worked closely with the team to reflect on their findings.
These 20 hours sessions focused on organizing survey responses, analysing the collected data, and discussing what the data revealed about livelihoods in the two villages. Students were guided through the process of turning raw information into structured and clear written reports. This phase closely resembled an internship experience, offering sustained mentorship and practical exposure beyond routine coursework.
Outcomes & Learning Impact
The project resulted in a detailed, ground-level understanding of livelihood conditions, based entirely on primary data collected by the students.
Beyond the research output, the process strengthened students' confidence in conducting fieldwork, engaging with communities respectfully, and connecting theory with observation. At the conclusion, all students received certificates issued by Studio 1947.
Studio 1947 Perspective
Capacity building is a core focus of Studio 1947, and this collaboration showed how academic learning becomes stronger when paired with real-world engagement.
Through a mix of classroom sessions, interactive workshops, and fieldwork, students developed practical research skills alongside theoretical understanding. More than a single study, the project strengthened student capacity while laying the foundation for future collaborations.
Client
Mirik College
Research Framework
Rabi, Tanisha (Prof. Mirik College)
Survey Coordination
Subhendu, Anjali, Santam, Sweety, Nikhil Raj, Soumajit, Pralath Karki (Mirik College)
Orientation
Anushiya
Research Paper
Individual Students
Certificate Design
Nikhil Raj
