How many languages do you know?

This question has always confused me — should I say Tamil or English? Or should I list C, Java, Scala?
But on July 19th, as I complete 10 years in my career, I realize — I've learned more than just programming languages. I've learned the language of life.

I still remember this day, 10 years ago, standing outside the Mindtree Kalinga campus in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, with my Appa. We had just completed a 2-day train journey. Both of us were wondering what this new IT world had in store for me.

It was a strange mix of emotions: homesickness, excitement, fear, and curiosity.
Being 1500 km away from home, in a new place, away from my family for 3 months — something even college hadn't prepared me for — was overwhelming.

But what an experience it turned out to be!

From meeting roommates from different states, tasting different foods, learning new cultures, struggling with training tests and projects, late-night discussions, and hunting for idly/dosas in Odisha... to managing all our chores ourselves — it was life’s first true lesson in independence. I missed my parents every single day.

Yet, we made the most of it.
We explored Odisha like locals — Puri Jagannath visits, local markets, even conversing in Hindi (or what we thought was Hindi — turned out to be Odia!).
We balanced our stipends between learning, living, and exploring — Unit Markets, Akshaya Patra canteen, and soupppppyyyyy noodles from the famous akka’s shop became part of our routine.

Roommates from across India became friends for life.
I still cherish the moments when someone would ask me to explain the lyrics of a Tamil song — and I’d feel like I had written it myself!
Then there were the cultural flash mobs, fun events, and regional music that made training feel like a festival.

It wasn’t just my first job — it was a life-shaping journey.
The first company always has a special place in everyone’s heart, and for me (and many fellow Mindtree minds), this place was sacred. It gave us our first taste of corporate life and adulthood.

Then came our posting to Bangalore, which opened another beautiful chapter.
We lived like one big joint family, much like the characters in the movie Bharatha Vilas(old Tamil Movie), sharing apartments with people from different regions.
Cooking duty fights, grocery shopping, weekend laundry — everything became a shared experience.

The biggest blessing during those days was our apartment aunt — her home-cooked meals, warm presence, and even her afternoon serials became comforting rituals that helped us feel at home.

Our Bangalore memories are endless — from playing badminton at Chinnaswamy Stadium and winning tournaments, to regular visits to malls and our favorite pani puri stall. Every little detail is etched in our hearts as part of the unforgettable Bangalore days.

As I sit and pen down these memories, I realize this journey was never mine alone
This blog is not just my story — it’s a tribute to my fellow batchmates who joined on that same day, walked the same corridors, fought through the same tests, ate the same soupy noodles, and built their lives brick by brick from that very moment.

To all of you celebrating 10 years of your first job, this post is for you.
We may have taken different paths since then, but the roots are shared — and they run deep.

Here’s to our first login credentials, our first payslip, our first coding bugs, our first independence, and the people who made it all special.

Happy 10th Work Anniversary to us! 

Let’s keep the spark alive ...