Organised by the Women's Studies Research Centre (WSRC) with the Society for Participatory Research Training in Asia (PRIA), New Delhi, the two-and-a-half day workshop aims to help the participants arrive at a basic understanding of participatory research by bringing the varsity researchers closer to the NGOs.

``We hope to create and strengthen conceptual understanding on participatory research, to explore links between research methods and participation and to build a professional expertise to link participatory research to the WSRC's work,'' said WSRC in-charge Director Parul Dave.

The 35 participants in the programme include activists from various women's and developmental organisations working with women, varsity researchers working in the areas of health and women's issues and some postgraduate students with experience in field research and work on women.

Explained WSRC project-coordinator Nandini Manjrekar, ``Participatory research is itself criticized for not being interested in women's issues. So, we do hope to form some kind of loose network between organisations working on women and varsity researchers hoping that it will sharpen our perspective on women in the area of participatory research''.