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Editorial When you do something for the first time, it is just realizing your dream. When you do it again and keep on improving, you build something valuable, you build a Legacy. A Legacy is what 10 professionals along with others built and gifted us when we joined MindTree. And of all the gifts in life, a legacy is the best to give, because with a legacy comes the responsibility of maintaining it, sometimes ameliorating it and then passing it on to the future generations. With the launch of this second edition we look towards creating a legacy. A legacy that future campus minds, MindTree minds and even our customers can inherit in the form of a magazine. As they say to improve is to change and to be perfect is to have changed a lot. Keeping Vrukshak’s international reader base in mind, “Vrukshak-The GenY Splash” has been rechristened to “Saplings-The GenY Splash”. This is our first change, hope it leads us towards perfection. In this edition, listen to Anjan in Connecting the Dots, feel the techie with Tech Tonic, Vocab Booster, Just the Facts and LiveOrchard @ Orchard Beats. We take this platform to thank all our readers for the support and encouragement. May our “Saplings” forever grow as we water it with all of your love and feedback. For feedbacks and queries write to saplings@mindtree.com Team Saplings Supreeth Srinivasan, Deepa Shekar, Joyce Mathew, Omkar Ajit Solapurkar, Archana Bhat, Spandana S. Dhaduti, Mehul Jay Dharamsi, Sanidhya Nanavati, Ajit Pathak, Anchal Subhash Sachdev, Ashutosh Khare, Kumar Balijepalli, Ravi Raj & Satish Inamdar
Connecting the Dots When I think of the ‘Orchard’ the mental image is of a sapling, sprouting out of the earth, vibrant, fearless, green, carefree about appearances - confident of its beauty, eager to grow in perfect harmony with all fellow saplings. Welcome to that place and welcome to what is possible. The only limitation to achievement is your own imagination. You must aim always to remain hungry to learn more. The best way to do that is to ask yourself ‘what do you not know?’. And plan to add one new skill into your arsenal every year on a planned basis. And the best way to get to know what you do not know is to read and to listen. That way you will become more aware of what other people know and help you set a course for yourself. In the Orchard, there is no past, only the future. My best wishes to you, every Orchard mind, to achieve what you can with collaboration, dedication and acquired expertise. Anjan Lahiri President & CEO, ITS
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Tech Tonic Torrents
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he most powerful tool of TCP/IP network protocol is Torrent. Though it is not stated by some great organization or ranking committee, with its apparent assertion, one can’t overlook the existence of torrent. So don’t you want to dive deep into this fantabulous world of torrents and see how torrents
someone). This means that you can download information from the server as well as from other hosts. Plus, you also provide a definite data to some other hosts which are already downloading from server. So instead of server slowing down, it distributes the load amongst other users. If you upload more, then you are
actually influence us?
allowed to download more.
What is it and how to use it?
With great power comes great responsibility
BitTorrent was designed by Bram Cohen, way back in 2001. This protocol helps the user to share a large piece of information over the Internet (here large can be anything, yes anything!). You just need to download a simple desktop application to be a part of this revolution (E.g.: µ-torrent or bit torrent, etc.). And voila’!
Torrents are mammoth reservoirs of data. But a word of caution, most of the sites provide pirated, pornographic and illegal material. It is your moral responsibility that you should endorse legal websites. As a Programmer Analyst, as a part of the IT Civilization and as a responsible citizen, we bet, you don’t want your, selfcrafted-software being illegally distributed on some website. Raise your voice against Piracy. Download legal stuff! - Sanidhya Nanavati
You have access to a gargantuan collection of data. Isn’t this great? Another thing which adds to its prominence is speed, ease of file transfer and its surreptitiously adaptable Algorithm. BitTorrent protocol is based on distance resolution algorithm for sorting out the most favourable path to transfer a simple file with least possible time and cost! For the information of little non-nerdy geeks, it is fast, simple and believe it or not, torrent apps are coded in the fundamental C++ language.
How torrents actually work? The most important part of a torrent is “downloadable torrent file” which contains the Meta data (Information about data) of the locations from where files are to be downloaded. Hosts (that’s you with your desktop or laptop) download the file(s) with a certain rate depending upon a synchronization algorithm followed by the BitTorrent protocol. When you have downloaded certain amount of data which is some percent of the actual data file(s), you also become a donor (i.e., you can act as a server for
Did you know? Justin Bieber is googled more than Jesus.
Orchard Byte Orchard 2011 – An eventful year in many terms. From the number of campus minds inducted to the innovative methodologies, Orchard had a complete makeover. Self Learning and Laptops for campus minds were the key features of Orchard 2011.
The best time to miss a train is at a crossing.
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Linked List
Sketch Book
Useful Tips and Tricks in MS Word Double clicking on a word selects the word and triple clicking selects the entire paragraph but if you want to select just a sentence hold down ctrl key and click on any word of that sentence. If you want to send in comments to an article your friend has sent you, just highlight the word and click the review tab in ribbon bar and select new comment. MS Word contains an inbuilt thesaurus if you want use it. The simplest way is to highlight a word and then just press SHIFT + F7. Pretty simple! Selecting text horizontally is easy but in case if you want to select text vertically just hold down ALT key and use your mouse.
- Suvarna Prachand
To password protect a Word document, click on File > Info > Protect Document > Encrypt with Password. An easy way to add bullets is to type asterisk and hit
VocaBooster
space. Same can be done with numbers and hyphen. The superscript is done by placing the cursor at the right end of the word and hitting simultaneously Ctrl Shift +. This places the cursor in a higher position. You can at this point simply type in the superscripted material, and then repeat the Ctrl Shift + keystrokes to return to the normal height. Subscripts are done similarly, except that the defining keystroke is Ctrl +. If you want to type (e) , (c), (tm) or (r) the auto correct options automatically convert these into following symbols €, © ,™,® . So to retain the original text that you intended to type, use CTRL Z (undo) the symbols
Did you know abhor and adore are antonyms. Narcissism was actually named after Narcissus who was enchanted by his own reflection. So a narcissist is a person who loves himself. Egregious means outrageously bad, flagrant. So an egregious person is the one you would like throwing eggs on. For those who don’t know what Redemption means , it is deliverance from sin, salvation, and rescue repurchase, as of something sold. Remember ‘The
will be converted back to normal text.
Shawshank Redemption’.
You can create tables in Microsoft Word by simply typing out a string of PLUS SIGNS (+) and MINUS SIGNS (-). Start the row with a plus sign (+) and then type minus sign (-) until you have the column width you want. To add a new column, type plus sign (+) again. When you're done type a final plus sign (+) and press 'ENTER'. Word turns your text into a table. To add more rows to your table, move to the last cell in the table and
Calumny, castigate, chastise, deride, derisive, derogate, diatribe, harangue, lambast, oppugn, pillory, rebuke
press 'TAB'.
-Satish Inamdar
Did you know?
Twilight was rejected by fourteen publishers before finally getting published.
all mean criticism/criticize
Orchard Byte
On-boarded 1811 campus minds from across the country in 3 locations – Bangalore (1459), Chennai(232) and Pune (120). They joined us in batches spanning through the year in June, July, August, November and February. We had a total of 11 batches for the year – 5 in Bangalore, 3 in Chennai and 3 in Pune.
Remember seven days without God makes one weak.
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Orchard Beats! Knowing ‘Aung San Suu Kyi’
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BoB – The ‘B’ Revolution
irst of its kind, 'Business Of Business' is an initiative taken by MindTree to enhance its business connect with Campus Minds. It began on May 2nd with 190 campus minds, 22 days and 22 business lessons taught by the Titans of MindTree
ung San Suu Kyi is the icon of peaceful resistance in her struggle for democracy. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights. She stands as a symbol of Myanmar’s struggle for democracy and of the
and a revolution enkindled- A revolution towards being DE Best. There was a rush among the campus minds with mixed feelings. Few thought "Awesome!! Sounds interesting.." and some went "I don’t understand why should I be attending this… I write code… understanding business is not my thing!". But somehow,
global struggle against oppression. Being in jail for the past 21 years, she is the most prominent of more than 1000 political prisoners held by Myanmar’s military government. In 1988, she formed and became General-Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and travelled the country, calling for peaceful reforms and democratic rule. In July 1989, in an effort to silence her, the military government placed her under house arrest, accused of “endangering the state”. She was offered freedom if she left the country but she refused. A year later, the military government called a general election-Myanmar’s first in 30 years. The NLD scored a landslide victory, although Aung San Suu Kyi was barred from standing. The military refused to acknowledge the result and extended her detention. Her struggle for independence continued, she spent 8 years in jail and lost her husband in 1999. In 2009, she was convicted of violating the condition of her detention by allowing a US national to stay at her home. Her arrest and subsequent trial received worldwide condemnation, including the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon, the UN Security Council, Western Government, South Africa & Japan. On the evening of Nov 13th 2010, she was released. On April 1st, 2012, the NLD announced that Suu Kyi had won the vote for a seat in Parliament. Her party was victorious with getting 43 out of 45 contested seats, officially making Suu Kyi the leader of the opposition in
everything fell in place and the BoB revolution kick started. The framework of BoB was divided into two aspects: Organizational Basics & Domain Specific. Organizational Basics comprised of the sessions on The Making of MindTree, Significance of NASSCOM, Organizational Hierarchy & Competitiveness, Personal Productivity, Leadership etc. whereas the sessions on Domain Specific framework were more detail oriented like IP, Finance, Marketing, IT industry, Digital Marketing, eCommerce. The key aspect that most of us often miss out is to realize and know our place in the business pyramid. We do agree that most of us write code, analyze them or test them. But we fail to understand that it is not important but imperative that we are well acquainted with the "Language of Business". Whatever is your job, at the end of day it should be communicated in business language. You may be the most brilliant code developer but if you cannot convince the very need of it, there is no point in developing it in the first place. BoB was successful in making the campus minds cognizant of the significance of the language of business. A Campus Mind says "BoB brought MindTree closer to us. We now not only know our strengths & weaknesses at an individual level but on an organizational level as well. Meeting Mahadev, whose story is mentioned in ‘The Professional’, was a wowsome factor." One of the founders made a remarkable quote during the BoB initiative - "Being a professional is not about having a degree, it is doing your job unsupervised". BoB has certainly triggered this professional revolution.
-Spandan Dhaduti
the lower house.
-Ajit Pathak
Did you know? The most children born to one woman was 69 -- She had 16 twins, 7 triplets, and 4 quadruplets.
Orchard Byte The Technical training program catered to 13 Practices with TTG-JAVA, TTG-DOTNET and Testing sharing the highest numbers followed by DAS, EAI, SAP, PES, Embedded Technology, IC Design, OpenSource, Sharepoint, WebSphere and Murex.
We believe in team work. Everybody does what boss says.
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Face Of MindTree
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Anindya Maitra
n achiever as well as an artist, a Chairman Award winner, a MindTree Citizen Award winner, a soft spoken down to earth leader and an inspiration for all us. Anindya has played a major role in Change Management initiatives in MindTree. He has developed and delivered a variety of content essential for competency building. He has moved from one area to other larger areas at work with time, he says. Anindya is married to Sarika and is blessed with two beautiful angels Sohini and Taisha. ‘They keep me occupied during my spare time’ he says. Anindya loves chess and soccer; he likes cooking and reading “curiosity” invoking books. He feels he can rely on campus minds completely and expects them to lead the organization with fresh ideas. He says “It’s not about ‘taking responsibility or ownership’ but merely about realizing that you are responsible”. About learning he says is a continuous process and is mostly on the job for him. Experience is the best experiment. Focus is important, choose one area you want to excel in and then learn from experiences and experts. He feels campus minds have a high risk appetite and hence can bring positive change provided they speak up and engage personally to make change happen. When asked for success mantra he said ‘Passion and hard work, I just couldn’t find any other alternative medicine (laughs). Success, stardom, excellence, joy all are outcomes. Currently, Anindya holds the position of Program Director and is working on the MindTree Kalinga Program. He has been associated with Orchard as a PAL; he has influenced lives of many campus minds as a PAL for several batches and being mentor to many others beyond the role. He is known for his troubleshooting ability and for his humility.
Face Of Orchard
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Krishna Shingala
ome of the minds from non Computer Science background find themselves aloof in a paradigm shift of switching to software industry, sometimes, lost in this new world of IT. Some accept things as they are but few of the brave ones with all the zeal and an urge, leave a scintillating mark behind them. One such gutsy story is that of Krishna Shingala, an Electrical Engineer who joined MindTree as a Campus Mind in the year 2006 and continued to become MindTree Chairman Award winner. So what different did she do? It was the simple nittygritty, “Dot your I’s and cross your t’s”. She paved her path by adding a pinch of condiments more to the specifications given. That little extra addition in her work always has made Krishna where she is today. But according to her, success is exploring the potential within, “When I can do it, you can do it too”. She further said, “I got the right opportunities and good guidance from mentors in MindTree. Also, the right switch from ITS to RDS tiled my conduit of interest in research“. She had all the good attributes towards work. Krishna says, “Work for self-satisfaction”. This zest and appetite in her says it all. Success is a state of mind, if you want success; start thinking of yourself being successful. Krishna surely exemplifies - “Achieving is not the discovery of a mechanism, but creating something out of it after it is discovered”.
Epilogue The evenings in Orchard @ Mindtree Now on, we will no more see..! The journey of 3 months has come to an end Our path has now taken a new bend The path goes on, now it’s gonna be more rough We mayn’t have luck, so let’s all get tough Tears do come when we look back We will miss the laptops that we carried in our sack
Orchard Byte
The evenings now seem void With the PAL sessions devoid The fun and the learning’s we all will miss Hope it would never end was my wish
The Technical Program was supplemented by the Behavioral Program code named COLORS with its various themes like Spirit of Service, Nurture The Roots, 24 hour pocket and Communication.
It’s life we all know Things come and things go Time has stopped, I feel alone The days in Orchard, have finally gone. -Satish Satish Inamdar
You haven't won an argument until the other person says, "Whatever!".
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Chennai Orchard Odyssey
or the first time ever in MCC, Graduation Ceremony for campus minds, Orchard Odyssey was conducted for the June, August and November 2011 batch. The occasion was graced by the presence of the chief invitee for the event -Subroto, our Chairman himself and Mr. Ravi Shankar, the Chief People
Name The Mascot Do you want to be remembered as one of the greats in the history of Orchard? If yes, then this is the correct place, Windfall. Be a part of the revolution by Naming the Macau, our Orchard Mascot! Send in your name suggestions to saplings@mindtree.com before 30th June ’12 and you could win a surprise gift.
Officer for MindTree.
Sketch Book
Highlights Of the Event:
FLASH MOB A surprise, well- choreographed act left everyone amused and filled the atmosphere with a lot of energy.
ORCHARD BOOK OF ACHIEVEMENTS A book for honoring campus minds who have achieved excellence by implementing their ‘out of box’ ideas.
- Jannie Baj
Orchard Byte 7 PALs and 6 Co-PALs together heading 23 houses added value to the campus minds with their experience, guidance and support.
Tip of the day Ink stains can be removed with a slice of tomato. Curry stains on clothes can be removed by applying a little white toothpaste on the affected part and then washing off after two hours.
Phase-2, 5th Floor, Orchard is the hub of Learning and Collaboration, Assessments and Fun, Experiential Learning and Sharing. Filled with color and high energy, Orchard 2011 was an experience to cherish.
Some fairy tales begin with "Once upon a time..." Others begin with "If elected, I promise..."