They all came here for work, but somewhere between the deadlines and the daily grind, they found something better: their people. Partners to learn with, argue with, laugh with, and, most importantly, to drop into a Counter-Strike lobby with.
Work has its low days, and facing them alone is never easy. But with two companions who show up, share the load, and refuse to let you sit in the dark, even the toughest days feel lighter. The job may be what brought you here, but it's the people who make it a place worth showing up to.
In 2016, they joined Hats-Off Digital with no clue where the journey would lead. A decade later, after detours, goodbyes, and a few homecomings, the story still has the same cast. And honestly, none of us would have written it any other way.
So unlike the many stories we could have written about struggles, growth, and everything that comes with a career, we wanted to dedicate this one to the friendships you find at work. The kind that make showing up every day a little easier, the kind that turn ordinary workdays into memories, and the kind that stay with you long after the workday ends.
Three Paths That Led Here
Murtaza
The youngest of the three, was surprisingly the first to arrive. Landing at Hats-Off felt like destiny, but staying was his choice. And his story has a twist: he joined the team for SEO but today, the developers can't imagine the team without him.
Kinana
Murtaza's older brother, Kinana joined with a simple goal: log in, enjoy the work, and squeeze in some Counter-Strike. Over the years, that easygoing start has grown into real responsibility. Today, he is one of the people holding the whole team together.
Prashant
Joining after the other two, he completed the trio with a depth of experience and a calm, reliable presence. A committed developer, he is deeply respected for his guidance and valued just as much for the warmth and humor he brings to the team.
What Ten Years Built
Their journeys began separately, but somewhere along the way, their stories became intertwined. They have faced difficult days, grown through challenges, and witnessed each other at their lowest. Yet, when asked about their journey together, their answer is simple: what began as a professional relationship has grown into something much deeper. Today, there is comfort, trust, and genuine friendship. No politics, no pretence, just a sincere concern for each other and a bond built through everything we have been through together.
Murtaza’s Take
Because he joined first, his side of the story had to be told. He was still in high school when he started at Hats-Off, taking up data entry work for the SEO team. But 2017 was when his real journey began. That was the year he stepped into development, took on a completely new role, and began building the path that would eventually make him one of the familiar faces in the team.
And then there was the added bonus: his elder brother was joining too.
At first, it sounds almost perfect. Coming to work with your brother? No worrying about petrol money, no travelling alone, and someone familiar sitting right beside you. It feels like the kind of arrangement that should come with nothing but butterflies and rainbows.
Until you realise you are now working on the same team, on the same projects, Every. Single. Day.
Suddenly, the brother you could argue with at home was also the colleague you had to work things out with at the office. There was no escaping each other, no switching off, and definitely no pretending that the workday ended just because you left the office. What looked like the easiest setup from the outside came with its own share of arguments, adjustments, and learning how to separate being brothers from being teammates.
And somehow, they figured it out.
Kinana’s Take
He had only come to the office to pick his brother up. That was it. No plans to apply, no thought of joining, and certainly no idea that a simple wave from someone at the office would change the course of his journey. That someone happened to be the founder of the company. A conversation followed, then an interview, and before he knew it, he had been selected.
He came in expecting something far more relaxed: a cup of chai, a few hours of Counter-Strike, and maybe some work along the way. But things had other plans for him. When everyone else working on a particular project left, the responsibility unexpectedly landed on his shoulders. What started as an internship suddenly demanded much more from him.
There was no time to ease into it. He had to learn, take ownership, figure things out, and grow up quickly. And that unexpected responsibility became the turning point that took him from being an intern to becoming a full-time employee. Sometimes, you walk into a place without knowing what you are looking for, only to find yourself becoming someone you never expected to be.
Prashant’s Take
9th September 2016. For him, it would eventually feel like the day Bappa opened a door he did not even know he was looking for. The call confirming his interview came on the fifth day of Ganesh Chaturthi, making the timing feel less like coincidence and more like a blessing.
Taking the interview itself had been a big risk. In the back of his mind was one very important question: what if he missed the visarjan? Still, he went. The interview went well, and the feedback seemed positive, so he left with a little hope that something might come of it.
Then came the waiting.
One day passed. Then another. Then another. For seven days, there was no call, no confirmation, and no idea whether the opportunity had actually worked out. Naturally, the doubt began to creep in. But perhaps the answer was simply taking its time.
On the seventh day, the call finally came. He had been selected.
What started with a decision to take a chance, despite the possibility of missing visarjan, became the beginning of a journey that would last far longer than he could have imagined. For him, there was no better way to look back at it: Bappa had brought him there.
Their “Take Together”
Looking back, none of them could have predicted how differently things would turn out from where they started. What began with separate roles, separate goals, and very different expectations eventually became a decade of shared experiences, projects that changed, responsibilities that grew, people who came and went, and plenty of stories that probably make sense only to the three of them.
There is no grand philosophy behind it. They worked, they learned, they argued, they laughed, they adapted, and somehow kept moving forward. The years brought plenty of changes, but the three of them remained part of the picture. And perhaps that is the simplest way to describe their story: they came to Hats-Off at different points, for different reasons, and ended up leaving their mark on the same chapter.
