This article discusses the working life of a NGO worker in Kerala, South India who researches, advocates and campaigns for the rights of India's most vulnerable communities. It draws on the personal narrative of an individual, to explore the ways in which his life chances and experience of working in a professionalizing civil society context have allowed him to construct his own notions of activism and work. This article engages with his life history to understand why he has made the decisions about how he and his staff work to tackle issues of injustice, inequality and exploitation. It analyses notions of activism, work and life history in a context shaped by class, gender and caste divisions.