As part of FII’s new Meet the Team series, we are featuring former and current employees who have worked with or are working with us currently since the inception of FII. Feminism in India as a digital intersectional feminist media platform would not exist if not for these incredible individuals who have helped build this organisation to make what it is today.
Today, we’re chatting with Asmita Ghosh, who is a 26 year old loud and proud feminist from Chennai. She was FII’s first full-time employee who worked with us for three and a half years. Apart from creating feminist content online, she spends her time singing for her Instagram followers, trying to maintain a reading habit, and exploring her newfound love of working out. Let’s find out more about Asmita’s journey at FII!
FII: What did you like most about being a part of the FII family?
Asmita: FII was the first organisation I ever worked at, and I’m rather fortunate for it to have been my first job. I absolutely couldn’t relate to my friends complaining about sexist work environments because of the fantastic (and all-women) teams I worked with. My favourite thing about FII was definitely the deep and nourishing female friendships with my colleagues that I developed.
FII: What advice would you give someone joining the organisation?
Asmita: Make the job your own! Take charge of your role, and continuously push its boundaries by taking on projects and responsibilities that interest you. Seize every opportunity you can find, because they will hold you in good stead later on.
FII: How would your (former) colleagues describe you?
Asmita: My former colleagues made me a ‘What Makes Asmita The Best Work Wife‘ BINGO sheet when I left, so I’m going to let it do all the talking. (Granted, it was a farewell gift, so it is overly nice – I was definitely not as great a colleague as this makes it seem!)
FII: What is something that you’re tired of hearing.
Asmita: “You’re not like that kind of feminist“. Said mostly by men, after I’ve had a pleasant enough conversation with them and then they discover that I am a feminist. I have to remind them that whatever kind of feminist they think they are referring to, isn’t really a thing, and if it is, then I am exactly “that” kind of a feminist.
FII: Tell us about a particular incident that happened to you at work that you will always remember.
Asmita: This isn’t a specific incident as such, but working in an all-women’s team meant that we could always take our bras off (yes, through that wily technique with your shirt still on) when they got too uncomfortable and no one batted an eyelid!
FII: Do you remember when and why you decided to work at a feminist organisation?
Asmita: I had recently graduated from college, and was three years into identifying strongly with the feminist movement. I had decided to take my time with finding a job after college because none of the opportunities I saw interested me very deeply. I signed up to be an intern with FII to do something productive with all my free time, and they announced a job opening just as my internship was ending! The rest is history :).
Also read: FII’s Asmita Ghosh Attends Women Deliver 2019 Conference In Vancouver
FII thanks Asmita Ghosh for her timely and valuable contribution to the organisation. We are incredibly grateful to have her as a part of our team and appreciate her for her deeply insightful work. She can be followed on Twitter, LinkedIn and her website.
