I am more of an anarchist. Anarchism is rooted in a very human tendency to not agree being controlled, to be able to question authority, get answers and most importantly a philosophy to look inwards and know oneself. In some way, I think of Gautam Buddha as one of the first anarchists. 

Open source aligns very nicely there for me. I won’t talk more about me being an anarchist, because as one more know – the one thing a good anarchist will do is not self-identify themselves in a box called anarchist.

But long story short, I dislike titles like lead.

But over the years I find myself being called Lead at WordCamps and also around the WordPress community. I try to remind myself to not take the whole lead thing too seriously, and take being useful to someone more seriously.

So in some way, this phase of my life can be called lanyard anarchism. I practice my anarchy wearing a lanyard and finding ways to be useful.

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But as you see with wars – invading forces often might win battle after battle but always lose the wars. The natives only have to survive on their land to win!

This is the bit, why I always feel hopeful about open source software or open systems. They are the natives of our society and they only have to survive to win.

That said the closed source empires will not stop their attacks, even risking the complete destruction of society for a few favourable VC rounds.

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Thankfully I found this interview of Greg Kroah-Hartman, who has been a maintainer on Linux kernel for over 25 years. It is a very good introduction to How Linux is actually built and what all goes into it from a top level view.

One insight I found quite useful was at 50:20 is how he explains that

We don’t have grand proposals sent to the kernel lists…

This is a very important part for contributors to realise, when trying to get involved with large open source projects.

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On my day in Mumbai, in the evening, I relaxed with some coffee and taking stock of people, friendships, situations and in general my tendency to ruminate over emotional baggage.

We keep collecting baggage. The baggage of expectations, missed opportunities, sometimes that heady feeling of being important and wins and losses.

As someone who has often struggled with my tendency to sit with extreme anxiety wondering if I have angered someone, offended someone and what someone thought of me?

I have now come a long way! It’s not that I don’t carry some of that baggage anymore. It’s just that I have learned to keep it down for sometime and enjoy some coffee and remember to truly enjoy what I am doing in life and have some fun along the way.

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Coffee and I go a long way back. I am one of the few lucky individuals who can drink really good cup of coffee and still manage to get sleep. Also I can do without coffee for several days. But to not push my luck too much, I try to make sure I do not drink coffee after say 4 pm.

I have tried the French Press earlier but my manual grinder broke and since then for a few years I have stuck with instant coffee. Last month, my friend Regan Khadgi, gifted me a bag of delicious Nepal grown arabica coffee beans.

I decided this time to try something new. I got myself a really cheap Moka pot from Agaro, and also a manual grinder – again from Agaro.

I geeked out over coffee thanks to James Hoffman and Matteo D’Ottavio videos. I now know what resting coffee is all about and the science behind why there is more coffee inside a lighter roast.

I get some pre-ground coffee from Blue Tokai, and I source my specialty coffee beans from this roastery in Pune called Grey Soul.

My favourite these days is The Yellow Lot from Ratnagiri Estates. I have tried a really fruity lemony coffee from Nagaland. I did not think I would like it, but I really do.

A coffee hobby can be expensive!

A coffee hobby can be quite expensive very quickly. I doubt Ill invest any time soon in things like a fancy electric grinder or a espresso machine. I like the rituals of brewing myself a cup very meditative.

My coffee brewing kit is not very expensive. I think most of it can be purchased in less than 2000/- Rupees.

I do also have an Aeropress, that was gifted to me by my friend Saru (who definitely has a coffee hobby). So I am pretty much okay with this setup. I hope this passion does not turn into an expensive hobby!

Until then cheers!

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I suggested to Junko that I could show them around in Pune but honestly I was a bit apprehensive. Pune is no longer the Pune I remember from my youth. It has become less interesting, more commercial and also its quirky personality seemed to be in the past.

When I was a young boy, I spent most of my summers in Pune with my grandparents. I also stayed in Pune on and off as a young adult and then later in my late twenties for work.

Pune was a quieter city compared to Mumbai but still lively. In my teenage years, the residents were mainly pensioners or college students, and I was one of those students for a few years.

What Pune had was personality, that went back centuries. A personality that said it was confident of itself and laid back. It also had a mix of cutting humour and self depreciating quirkiness. I find that missing these days. Or atleast markedly reduced. I wondered if my friends will enjoy the city at all.

The first evening, we visited Shaniwar Wada. It was closed but we took some time sitting outside and enjoyed the old facade of the fort. Then we travelled to a renovated wada (a traditional building in the middle of old Pune) which now is used as a cafe called Soo be it for dinner.

The next morning, we visited Shaniwar Wada and Kelkar Museum again, then had lunch at a charming restaurant across from Shaniwar Wada that felt like it was still stuck in the 1980s.

Junko and Shoko took the metro between Deccan Gymkhana and PMC stations along the river. I couldn’t take Junko to a library, which she loves, but she did see the library building in front of Kayani bakery in Camp on her last day before leaving for Japan.

Junko and Shoko, both watched and observed everything very quietly and pointed out interesting things all day. They noticed the difference between the personalities of Pune and Mumbai. The things I had forgotten to look for in Pune or taken for granted about Pune.

I realised while walking around the city with them, that I was seeing Pune through their eyes and they were noticing and appreciating it a lot more than I do. And I am glad I got to do that with them.

Here are some photos by Junko. She always found the light playing with buildings, bridges, stairs and everything else in Pune.

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This post has been in draft for about three weeks. As a lead of WordCamp Asia, I had a unique perspective. The event ran smoothly, and even a month later, I’m still tagged on various LinkedIn posts about it.

I’ve read hundreds of social media posts sharing their experiences from the event.

I’m unsure how to articulate my takeaways or leadership lessons. Each experience is unique, making much expert advice seem like survivor bias.

But I do like capturing some feelings, thoughts as personal artefacts on this blog.So make a long story short, this is not really a post about leadership and all that jazz around WordCamp Asia. It is more of a personal one!

WordCamp Asia in Mumbai!

Last year I visited WordCamp Asia in Manila. Folks from the WordPress community team only weeks before the event had reached out to me and asked about organising WordCamp Asia in India.

My first fears were how people from Pakistan and Bangladesh travel to India, and those fears did materialise. These fears were not unfounded. Finally I do not think anyone from these two countries could manage to get visas to visit the event. It is one of those regrets I have and won’t go away!

But in early 2025, there were no other cities in the fray and the outreach to Mumbai was a bit of a SOS. So I said “YES” and off I was on this wild journey called WordCamp Asia 2026.

One important reason to sign up for this role was I really wanted to see if I could lead and manage something that just had so many moving parts, so many passionate and talented individuals.

Open source work is a bit like getting used to being under the sun. It can sap your energy, can make your feel uncomfortable. But once you are used to life under the sun, a lot of magic will happen.

This edition was happening in Mumbai, the first flagship event ever in India. There was some negativity around it at the beginning. Regardless, the organisers, all 79 of them started the journey off, excited and happy!

The year of organising this event not easy at all. We lost young Zeel Thakker, an organiser from Ahmedabad, we dealt with production delays, with visa issues, operational costs, sponsors pulling out at the last minute, stretching out budgets, and if that was not enough challenge! A freaking war broke out, which reduced participation further, speakers and some sponsors pulling out.

Several times the thought did cross my mind, that this event is jinxed and maybe it just won’t take place.

But it did!

We had one of the highest turnouts (2400+ Attendees) ever at a WordCamp and the largest ever Contributor Day (1600+). I still feel that we could have had a bigger turnout.

One of my main goals I set was to make WordCamp Asia, unapologetically Asian! This meant making editorial and other choices that reflect this. We managed to have the highest number of speakers from Asia, and I think many more in ratio than previous editions. I hope that continues in future versions too.

The energy was high, at least the feedback from attendees was everything from sessions, to the venue to the food to the after party was fantastic.

I am incredibly proud with all of everyone involved in the organising team. Here is a group photo at the Organiser Dinner!

Friendships

The one thing that invariably happens at projects like flagship WordCamps, is that you become friends with people from different countries. I now have friends from Uganda to Russia, from Japan to Sri Lanka.

One of them who almost did not make it was Moses (Cursor) Ssebunya. He travelled all the way from Uganda. His visa application for India was rejected twice!

But his positivity, support and friendship is truly infectious. Both of us got on several calls and several more Whatsapp messages, and figured out how to make sure his visa application does not get rejected a third time!

Some extra paperwork, documentation and digitally signed letters later, Moses applied again the third time. I am not the most expressive person but when he got the visa and sent me a text, I punched the air as in victory for about 3 and half times. Then I noticed I was staring at the screen and no one was around. The window was open and some neighbour might have thought I was finally losing it!

Moses and I learned so much about visa applications, I semi-seriously joked that the two of us should become travel consultants! Moses has spent countless hours vetting applications for meetups and WordCamps around the world. People like him are why the community team keeps chugging along!

And here is Moses and I, eating some Dosa in Mumbai

Another friend I made over the last year was Regan Khadgi from Nepal. It was so good to meet someone who shares the same values and grace about the community. 

I had a great time traversing through Colaba and Girgaum in Mumbai in November, with Regan. It was quite interesting to discover Mumbai through a first time visitors eyes.

During WordCamp Asia, he stayed over at my place in Mumbai. It was fun to hang out with him after the event and take him to an extremely crowded Malad station, to eat unhealthy and delicious wada paavs along with jalebis.

I suspect Regan was a bit overwhelmed with just the number of people he saw. I have made him a promise to visit Kathmandu someday and walk through his city with him as my history guide.

The other big influence on me came from Japan! One of the coolest people I know is Junko Nugaka from Japan. She lives on a small island and takes care of a library. I think people who enjoy libraries have an innate sense of internal calm and an appreciation of the commons.

While I have known Junko for several years, I only became friends with her this year. We have spoken often about the project,style of leadership and sometimes even art and culture.

Junko travelled with me to Pune along with her friend Shoko, after the event. I showed her and re-discovered Pune, seeing it through the eyes of a travellor. I think that will be separate post next week.

Mumbai, Pune, Mumbai!

Mumbai
WordCamp Asia is a big deal. We expected a lot of people to visit Mumbai. Mumbai’s WordPress community is one of the oldest in Asia (along with some in Japan). I have known a lot of the WordPress-ers from these two cities and for over a decade now.

For the event I got to work with friends from Mumbai starting with Alexander, Meher, Vachan, Saaheel and so many more.

Alex participating was special for me. He has been visiting my house in Mumbai, planning WordCamps in Mumbai, back when both my parents were around. It was pretty cool to hangout with him sometimes and sometimes just being in the moment.

Pune

When I moved to Pune in 2017, and I made friendships in the city, mostly with people from the WordPress community. Sheeba, Amit, Joel are all folks I have known since forever in Pune. There was also Yogesh, a good friend from Bangalore. Not only were they organisers, I personally felt they were my main support system in a way. Many of them took time out to help me tackle some things often without me needing to ask for help. They were in a way, my main support system.

That I would end up organising this thing with long time friends and collaborators, was something that was something I could imagine happening. I am very thankful and very privileged to have got to do this with them!

What I did not ever imagine happening was to work with my younger sibling Arundhati.

Mumbai

Arundhati knew some of the organisers from Mumbai but she really started to get to know the WordPress community when she attended some of the meetups in 2022.

Arundhati joined the Communications Team for WordCamp Asia last year.

I make websites, she is a therapist. Our paths never really cross professionally. So even though I know her for a good 40 odd years, it was the first time we were working together.

It was really enjoyable and pleasant to see her doing well, holding her own and bringing along her own brand of calmness and creativity to the project. She even designed the official Wappu mascot for WordCamp Asia, called Wapuulika.

I am thankful and glad we both were together on this journey!

For me WordPress feels like Mumbai 

Mumbai is a city I have lived much of my life. My childhood, my school years were all in this city. My parents have lived and died in this city. The city is changing, sometimes too fast but if I sit still for a moment, I recognise it even now and never feel like a stranger.

I remember a couple of years ago, while writing a letter to a friend, I described Mumbai as a place that feels like a place I could simply never feel lost.

In that sense, over the years WordPress is like Mumbai for me. A place where I never will feel lost, a place I could never really feel like a stranger!

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As one of the co-leads of WordCamp Asia, this journey has been a long one. It started with a visit to Manila last year. Over a year of work has gone into this.

I have collaborated with people across several countries. Leading them has been an interesting experience. I say interesting because I am an anarchist at heart. Titles like “lead” and “manager” have never fit me like a glove. I really dislike attracting attention to myself. Often, I have had to do that by being at the helm of affairs. Yet here I am.

It is Saturday evening as I write this. A quiet one. But next Saturday will be a different story. I will relax in Mumbai at the after party.

I know what is coming. There will be fun moments and long chats. There will be some irritating moments and some chaos. There will be a lot of really well-executed things. And then it will all be over, just like that.

If you are curious about what we have lined up, check out the schedule.

I can already see my post-WordCamp self. I will make some tea. I will finally dig into the ever-growing stack of books I have ignored for the past four or five months. The busyness stole my reading time. I will want it back!

I can see myself watching some cricket again. I can see the hour long walks returning into my routine. All of it very soon!

But that is later. Right now, if you are reading this and can make it to Mumbai, join us. WordCamp Asia 2026 is going to be a lot of fun. Grab your event pass and come be part of it.

I wonder if I will get some time to do some live blogging from the event. Ambitious, I know. But let’s see, it is a “WordPress” flagship event afterall!

WordCamp Asia: Website | Passes | Schedule

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As the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius lay down in bed, he struggled to get out of it. He philosophized and then forced himself to rise. He aimed to be useful.

At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”

If he still struggled…

So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?

Aurelius then added this into his Meditations. Such interesting insights truly needed one to be the overlord of an Empire. As the emperor, he was one of the few people in the ancient world to have this choice. Almost everyone had no choice but to get out of bed and do something. Otherwise, they would starve!

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