It’s difficult to begin with. So I think I should start by answering how I landed in Greenpeace. I had heard about Greenpeace long back when I was finishing school. Later in college after signing up for B. Tech in Electronics and Instrumentation, I began realizing that it is not the destined path for me. Even after trying hard I realized that I didn’t have any interest in the course and I couldn’t generate any.
Back then it seemed to me that I was pretty much on the wrong track and as a matter of fact I couldn’t just drop out. The problem I was facing (and I think many people at my age are facing this too) was that all of a sudden, you realize that it’s really difficult to understand where your interest lies. You start asking yourself, “What am I going to do?” Some people are good at many things and then it’s difficult to choose among them, some are trying to find out what they are good at, and the ones who are at peace with what they are doing and love it are the lucky ones.
I got inducted into the Rotaract club of my college and it was here that I got the social welfare experience. It sparked an interest in me towards working for the welfare of people and doing voluntary work. The part that struck me the most was that the will of a few people could bring great change if they worked together with the passion for it. After completing my third year we had to do an internship. It was then that I came across Greenpeace India and saw openings for internships. It just felt that Greenpeace was the perfect organization to work with for me. I wanted to be part of something that I really believed in and have an effect and make real life change. Finally after the required selection procedure, I got a call from Ruth who is my coordinator as well that I was shortlisted and after a few days I got inducted.
Ever since that day till now it has been an amazing journey with amazing people. For a change after college, I am doing something that I actually like to do. In such a short span there has been so much learning and knowledge and plus it’s not just on paper. The things that you learn are practical and that means it’s going to help you throughout your life.
11 June 2015
Irshad Ahmad poses with Greenpeace India employees in solidarity on World Environment Day
I worked on the National Weekend of Action. I was a part of the mobilization team and we contacted people and civil service organizations all around the country asking for their solidarity with Greenpeace. We had a great Coordinator, Ruth. The way she made us set day-to-day targets in a realistic way and trying to push us above our threshold helped in a great way to find the potential we had. During the NWA the responses we got from the people was just amazing and it was a big success.
Here at Greenpeace, every day is like a new one different from every one before, where you get something new to do and learn every day. It’s not like in corporate places where there are strict rules and you are bound to work according to them and their rules. And I think that’s one reason people here are stress-free and love what they do. It makes you wish you had more time to work a bit more.
The working environment, the practical approach towards any topic and, the best part, the diversity of people and ideas held together by their belief in one common goal is what I think sets Greenpeace apart from any other organization. Even as an intern I was given the same platform as Greenpeace employee themselves (I worked directly with the mobilization team)!
So at the end of the day I learned some crucial things from my experience here. I think I developed as an individual and moreover working as a team. It’s never late for doing what you want. I learnt that I was never on the wrong path. Nobody is. It is because of the decisions I took that I am here and I am glad for that. It’s never late for doing what you want. You just need to find what you believe in and then ask yourself, “Am I doing the right thing?”
Irshad Ahmad is an intern with Greenpeace India who helped conduct the massive Weekend of Action from June 5-7, 2015
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