NGO Folk

My stint at Godrej Properties taught me so little about people! I learnt about buildings, bosses, politics, common sense and waste. But, not much of an insight into personalities.

I could also credit this to the fact that i was focussed (vaguely) towards a career in business and did not want to think beyond it since, that would bring in too many complications starting with resistance from 'society' and family. That kept me from my now favourite pastime; learning about myself and about other individuals. Myself, because I am the centre of my universe. Ego-centric, yes. Egoistic, nope. I simply respect myself a great deal and want to grow and learn and be happy and true to myself till I die (maybe after death as well, subject to an afterlife). Other individuals, because I feel it is very important to relate to people. I adore a mutually beneficial relationship where two individuals grow together with synergy!

Yup! Life has so much more to offer now. It simply took one really tough, yet simple, stand. Get the hell out of corporates and get your ass moving to where you truly want it to be. At that moment, I wanted to work with NGOs. So, thats how the shift was made. My interest in the all-pervasive MBA gradually waned and my interest in myself steadily grew.

Very rosy! Some might proclaim... From capitalistic bloodsucker to noble educator. Blah! The scene here isn't rosy at all. We have a mélange of personalities and motivations here. More politics than the board rooms of the filthiest corporate house, more corruption than the worst government department and ironically more money than most would assume.

I would like to throw some light on the types of people I am surrounded by in this industry.

Type 1 - LOW self esteem
They have little respect for themselves. Respect for others is a mirage. These people feel that working with an NGO automatically earns them the 'noble' tag. They flaunt this perceived tag around as though they are now entitled to a respect that would never be theirs otherwise.
Our type 1 folk survive on other's perception of nobility in them whether it is real or a farce.

Type 2 - POWER hungry
Power over people could be gained through many methods. Money is one of them, feeding their emotions is another. The end result is that the type 2 category is capable of pulling a lot of strings. Feeding egos, making others feel indebted (non-monetary) and privileged are some tactics commonly used by these people. They want power over others and are shrewd enough to achieve it.

Type 3 - Sympathetic
"Oh! You poor little thing..." Commonly heard from those who can pity others at the drop of a hat. I feel, it takes a true egoist to think this way. But, not always... We've all heard of self-pity ofcourse. Our type 3 feels that they are god sent angels sent down to this miserable planet to impart anything worthwhile to its pitiful inhabitants. Plenty of these around!

Type 4 - Empathetic
My favourite kind! (No sarcasm here). This kind is very clear about the target group; themselves. It is important to know who you are before you think about stepping into someone else’s shoes. Or else, you land up in their shoes with your biases and judgments simply making a bigger mess of things. Why do they want to step into someone else’s shoes? Well, maybe because it brings them great satisfaction seeing the world from another’s perspective and helping at deciphering it with them. Maybe they want to learn more about themselves by putting themselves in a truly challenging situation.

Type 5 – A façade
Typically, the politicians and businessmen who set up these NGOs to siphon off government money or avoid taxes. Sadly, they set up dying concerns where the beneficiaries are initially filled with hope and then smash down to harsh reality in their world which is already crammed with reality checks.


Type 6 – Fly by night operators
Here today, gone tomorrow. NGOs are a business for these folk. Rake in the cash and get the hell outta there!