From commerce to environmental issues, 17-year-old Amlan Roy is perceptive to the opposites he represents. The student volunteer at Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) aspires to work in the field of environmental law. “Though the scope for the profession is not much as of now, the rapid development projects being introduced will make sure that people take it seriously in the years to come,” says the high school student who is currently appearing for his board examination. An avid debater, Amlan met the founder of EFI Arun Krishnamurthy at a competition organised by British Council of India at IIT Madras in 2011. The student of Army Public School at Hyderabad has been onboard since and plans to work for the organisation through his college. “I started with zoo volunteering and have since participated in the cleaning up of lakes at Kapra and Kukatpally areas. As a part of EFI, I also get to train the recruits by discussing environmental issues and introducing the impact of rapid urbanisation and industrialisation in the present scenario,” says Amlan. He is also a participant in the organisation’s expansion drive in Bhubaneswar and other cities. “The AWHO residential area I live in one of the largest colonies in the city. As the area faces acute water-shortage, I initiated a campaign to set up a water treatment plant on the premises by getting the neighbours and management of the colony on board. It is a project all residential areas need to take up to conserve water,” says Amlan.
As most of the volunteers at EFI are students, the meetings held twice a week are usually scheduled over the weekend. “I sometimes skip classes for the work but with permission from my teachers. If it is for a good cause, teachers do support it,” signs off Amlan.
— payal@newindianexpress.com