Growing Through Impact: Anbarasu’s Journey
From Organizing Saturday Hack Night to Internships at Kochi Water Metro and NocoDB
At TinkerHub Foundation, we’re all about fostering a vibrant tech community, and Anbarasu has been an integral part of our journey! His dedication to promoting growth and learning within the community is truly commendable.
Anbarasu has been associated with us for quite some time now, and he is one of the main leads of our flagship program, Saturday Hack Night.
From his novice beginnings at Ilahia College of Engineering to his active participation in tech communities, doors of opportunity swung wide open for him, leading to internship opportunities at Kochi Water Metro and NocoDB.
Read our previous story:
His story shows us how being involved in social impactful organizations and running tech events can work like magic, accelerating personal and professional growth, boosting ones learning journey, increasing visibility, and setting the stage for a rock-solid career.
Read about his life in tech and the journey that brought him to where he is today:
Q: Hey Anbarasu, thanks for joining us today! Tell us a little about you.
A: Hey there! I’m Anbarasu, hailing from Ernakulam in Kerala, India. I’m a Student Developer, and at the moment, I’m pursuing my B.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering at Ilahia College of Engineering.
I like being part of various tech communities. In my free time, I indulge myself in creating projects: FossFolio, an open-source project that I’ve been working on and curating my Spotify playlist — which sets the perfect vibe for me. 👯 Currently, I’m also working at NocoDB, where I’m serving as an Engineering Associate Intern. I’m also interning as a Full Stack Developer at Kochi Water Metro.
As for my career interests, I’m particularly drawn to the fields of UI Design, Web Development, and Backend Development. If you’re curious to explore some of my past endeavors, feel free to check out a few of my previous projects here.
Q: Can you share a bit about your journey as a student developer?
A: Joining Ilahia College of Engineering for B.Tech during the COVID times was a unique experience. The virtual learning setup brought its fair share of challenges, but it also opened doors to some exciting opportunities that shaped my path in the most unexpected ways. With everything going virtual, I had the chance to explore beyond the usual textbooks and lectures. I discovered tech communities like TinkerHub, IEEE, and IEDC. Let me tell you, connecting with fellow tech enthusiasts in these communities has been an absolute blast!
And then came Build-From-Home by TinkerHub Foundation. Up until then my development skills were quite limited. Teaming up with some seriously talented folks, we created a real-time vaccine availability Discord bot using Node.js. It was like I found a superpower I never knew I had!
After completing the BFH program, I faced a brief period where my learning graph experienced a dip. And so, I redirected my energies towards event coordination and honing my management skills. But you know what they say, every experience is a learning opportunity!
It was shortly after this ICW by TinkerHub happened, and I attended it.
Innovation Catalyst Workshop (ICW) was a platform where I had the opportunity to meet students from various colleges with different backgrounds. We shared the issues we faced in our respective campuses and discussed how to solve them. It provided me with different perspectives and insights on how to foster a learning culture. In our campus, many students were unsure about what and how to learn, and ICW helped me understand and address this challenge.
Q: How did you become associated with TinkerHub and take on the role of running Saturday Hack Night (SHN)?
A: After Build-from-Home, I came across a public call put up by Kurian Jacob, inviting volunteers to run SHN. Intrigued by the opportunity, I reached out to him and expressed my interest. Soon enough, I found myself taking on the role of a project lead for SHN, working alongside Niswa to bring this community-driven initiative to life. Together, we organized and facilitated Saturday-Hack-Night.
Saturday-Hack-Night
Saturday Hack Night (SHN) is a bi-weekly hackathon, specially designed for beginners and tech enthusiasts looking to enhance their project portfolio. We encourage participants to complete their projects, we also showcase these impressive creations on the program’s webpage!
During SHN, we dive into all the latest technology-related concepts, including APIs, frameworks, and more, giving learners a chance to explore and experiment. Here’s how it works: every week, we select a relevant topic and introduce participants to libraries, frameworks, and APIs associated with that topic. We provide them with sample projects as hands-on learning material, and they have a week to study and prepare.
And then on Saturday evening, from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm, they unleash their creativity and build a project based on what they’ve learned. The best part is, they can build their projects online, in their own spaces. It’s a fun and dynamic way to learn, collaborate, and bring their ideas to life in just one evening! 🚀😊
We recently organized our very first physical hack night at TinkerSpace, and it was a thrilling experience. With only one week to plan, we had to work quickly to ensure everything fell into place. Within that short timeframe, we selected participants, curated libraries to include, reached out to mentors, and made other necessary arrangements. We also extended invitations to individuals who had submitted projects for previous hack nights, gathering a group of enthusiastic participants. This event also coincided with the revamp of our SHN website. Around 70–80 students attended, and it was a collaborative and teamwork-oriented environment. Winners were chosen, and all attendees had the opportunity to submit their projects.
Q: How has your involvement in SHN contributed to your personal growth and learning?
A: My involvement in SHN has been two-fold — as an organizer and a participant. Not only have I been involved in organizing these events, but I’ve also taken part as a participant, learning and building projects myself. Alongside my teammate Niswa, we make sure to connect with participants, offer assistance with any challenges they face while working on their projects, and track their progress. It’s a great opportunity for me to work on my own projects, constantly pushing myself to learn new things and improve my skills.
Q: Let’s talk about your role as the Technology Lead at IEDC. Can you share a memorable experience or highlight that stands out from your time in that role?
A: Winter Hack is one hackathon that I’m incredibly proud of. As the technology lead at IEDC, planning events became second nature to me, especially after organizing SHNs. We decided to revamp our previous hackathon, Navak, and rebranded it as Winter Hack. We shifted our focus to outstanding designs and innovative marketing strategies. We had a great turnout with 110 students and 24 teams participating. My responsibilities included managing sponsorships, designing eye-catching visuals, and handling the technical aspects. 🎉
Q: Your experience working on the website for Kochi Water Metro using AWS sounds fascinating. Could you share some insights into that project?
A: The director of KMRL approached our college with a project: designing a website for the Kochi Water Metro. We provided them with the designs created by my senior, which they loved, and they asked us to proceed with the development. At the time, I was primarily using React, but for this particular project, I decided to dive into learning Next.js and delved into the intricacies of AWS as well. We successfully launched the website, but as with any project, there were subsequent suggestions and bug fixes that we carefully addressed. Initially, it was a small team, with just me handling the development, along with one person responsible for content and another for design. However, as the project progressed, we welcomed more students who expressed interest in development.
It’s been an ongoing journey for the past year, and my current role is more like a guide, providing support and guidance to the fresh faces on the team.
Q: Congratulations on your internship at NocoDB! Could you tell us more about your experiences and contributions in the open-source community, and how it has influenced your growth as a developer?
A: As I grew more confident in my skills, I started browsing through various open-source projects on GitHub, exploring if there were open-source versions of the tools and projects I was using. Initially, I was hesitant to contribute, but I took the leap and made my first open-source contribution through TinkerHub by revamping the website for SHN!
I recently discovered NocoDB, an open source #NoCode platform that turns any database into a smart spreadsheet. I found it fascinating and began exploring its GitHub repository. I made some changes and contributions to enhance its user experience. My efforts caught the attention of the NocoDB team, and as a result, I was offered an internship there! This opportunity has been an exciting milestone for me, as it allows me to work closely with the NocoDB team, gain real-world experience, and further develop my skills in building database applications. It’s a great example of how open-source contributions can open doors to exciting opportunities in the tech industry.
Q: What’s your dream tech project?
A: In the recent Bangalore’s FOSS hack event, our team — Reenphy George, Sreehari Jayaraj, Ajmal Najath ; aimed to create an open-source platform like Devfolio for hackathon management. Though unfinished there, I’m determined to complete it. My passion lies in contributing to open-source projects, especially in product companies. Excited for the opportunities ahead!
Q: Any friends or mentors you’d like to thank for their support on your journey as a developer?
A: I’m grateful for everyone who made this journey possible. Thanks, Ameesha & Dany for your amazing support. Niswa, you’ve been a fantastic friend and SHN impact-maker. And Kurian, your mentorship has been invaluable! Thank you all! 😊
Thanks for your insight, Anbarasu. And all the best for your future endeavors!
We’re proud to have Anbarasu as part of our community, and we look forward to witnessing more of his achievements as he continues to make a positive impact in the tech world. 🌟
We hope you had a great time reading Anbarasu’s story! 😃
