It was early in the morning when our group walked into the compound with anticipation packed in our duffel bags. Slumber and hunger followed us like chariots since our long bus ride, and as if the people there were wary of our cravings, presented us with servings of savory and coffee. Their earnest smiles were like friends, and we immediately felt at home, receding to our usual selves.

Then came the main attraction of the tour, the journey through the sprawling acres of microcontrollers. It never feels overwhelming, I can tell you, because everything is broken down to manageable pieces. The fridges, air conditioners and intricate machinery we see in households of our country, and also abroad, have separate housings and their intricate wizardries are spun by incisive magicians: the workers who relentlessly maintained their jovial nature and answered every innocuous question of ours. The engineers there seemed to know their work inside out, and when we found an alumnus of our university there, we struck up quite a conversation and conjured nostalgia to the present. We also were imbibed with aspirations of a future here, and a will to act in its favor. The experience inspired me to take courses such as fabrication and VLSI.

Admiring, too, was the fact how automation and human touch blended together in pure serendipity. We saw machines making machines in PCB assembly unit, vacuum chambers enabling such craftsmanship, and each board slowly holding what it eventually has to offer: like little towns on tiny green landscapes. We are already used to seeing "MADE IN BANGLADESH" on Walton's products, but seeing such elaborate control over machinery and processes has caused the line to resonate in my heart, and I have seen in brief flashes a wonderful electronic future in our homeland.

The most notable aspect, perhaps, was the care emanating from every act and discipline: care towards environment, employees and time. The 1200 acre place acts like a small world, with routine as its circadian rhythm. Pollution, noise or fume-wise, is kept at a minimum, with workers commuting via electric vehicles or bicycles. These busy employees are treated with cordiality, safeguarded by shock-proof paraphernalia in their dress code, and they meet everyday demands nourished by produce of Walton’s very own farms. The establishment not only augments the lives of employees, but also its neighbors, with special roads that allow ease of access to nearby people. It merges so well with the rural landscape that it feels like a bionic leaf among all the greenery.