Student Leader Interview - Amogh Simha from Ramaiah Institute of Technology





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1. Tell us more about your roles & responsibilities.


When you give you sweat and blood to build a club, the formal line between roles is erased. Whatever may be the role, the responsibility is always there. I did just that. 


Two and a half years ago, I was one of the main persons who started a youth wing of rotary at my locality - it was called Rotaract Club of Vidyaranyapura. I was the founder secretary and it was no easy job. 

I had to get a minimum of 30 members to join the club for it to start. Convincing people to join without any projects or history wasn't easy. I guess the "Rotary" name helped me a lot. Now I am the president of the club, the role does give me more responsibility and accountability. 

But to tell the truth I feel whatever role I was in till now, people gave me a big responsibility and I've been carrying it on. End of the day, all the members are volunteers, so I can't force anything onto them. 

Years of experience have helped me balance the art of making sure they enjoy but getting projects done as well. I feel the members equally respect me too and that makes the role much easier.


2. How did you rise up to your position and how can a student aspiring the same, approach it?



Being the founder secretary, I personally knew every member and could have easily become the president. But I knew that I needed time. I took two years to observe and learn. Slowly I realized what it is the people actually want and how to please them. It took some more time for me to learn to handle uncomfortable situations. 


The biggest lesson I learnt - how to say NO. After all this I was finally ready. I took up the mantle of the president unanimously along with support and respect of all the members. Since then I've tried my best to keep it up. 

I was an introvert. I've come till here. So Why can't anyone else? Any student can be where I am now. Only one thing is needed - Dedication. 

Give everything a try or two. And if you want to achieve something, go ahead with full dedication. Only then the sacrifices on the way will feel worth it.


3. What's it like to juggle between a leadership role and normal college life?


A wise person knows how and where to draw boundaries. College life is college life. Rotaract is Rotaract. However most of the time, both do intersect at least a little.


Pre-planning was my best friend. When I know I have an exam or a tight week, I'd schedule and delegate work to others completely. It was also an opportunity for them to grow. 

When I know a big event is coming up, I'd have to sacrifice everything else for 2-4 days. We waste time on so many useless things everyday. A little planning will make sure that we give the same time as before but to both.


4. What have been some of your biggest challenges and learnings from what you do?



In my club, everyone is a volunteer. It is my job to make sure they feel comfortable. But that isn't as easy as it sounds. More often but not, situations arise which need urgent work to be done. 


At first, the biggest challenge was to convince people to dedicate time. But as time passes, the close ones become a family and they understand what has to be done very well. Once the feeling of my club comes over, it can't be taken away.

One thing I've learnt is, even if you're the president at the club or at a corporate, the moment you think you're above people, that's the end.


5. What are the top skills that you have learnt with what you do?



When you're the leader of an NGO, when someone doesn't do what they have to, worst case you've to step up and do it yourself. 


In the course of it all, sometimes designer was out of town or sick and nobody else was available. That's when I learnt designing. Though it's basic, it will help when it has to. 

When your photographer is missing, you learn Photography. That's what I did. And that turned out to become a passion too. After some videos and tutorials, I learnt basic video editing. The list of basic skills I learnt goes on. 

I feel it gives me an extra connect to people. They also know that I know what they are doing. I can also better suggest changes when I know what's being done. 

Needless to say public speaking was one thing which automatically comes into the skill set when you become a leader.


6. What's your message to encourage students to do internships and attend conferences?



Nobody is perfect. We are all living in a continuous learning process. 


Imagine we had a demo beta test before the final shot. That's an internship. 

According to me, we should never say no to knowledge. It will become useful one day or the other if not today. 

Internships provide a platform to know the field without having much pressure as well. I'd suggest everyone to do as many as they can and gain a wider knowledge triangle. 

Conferences are also an excellent platform to exchange knowledge. As they say a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.


Amogh Simha
President
Rotaract Club of Vidyaranyapura


Interview By - Chaitra B Sriram