I’ll be honest. I was a bit sceptical before I went.
A massive gathering, people from all over the world, representing the Astra team at one of the biggest open source events out there. It sounded exciting on paper. But I wasn’t sure what to expect from myself in that setting.
What happened over those three days in Mumbai surprised me.
Standing at the Booth Was Its Own Kind of Learning
I spent most of my time at the Astra booth. Talking to people walking by. Answering questions about Astra, about the Sure products, about what we do and how we do it.
No script. No safety net. Just conversations.
And what I noticed is that when you know your product well enough, the conversation starts to feel natural. The nervousness slowly becomes curiosity. You stop thinking about what to say next and start actually listening to the person in front of you.
That’s something no internal training can fully prepare you for. You learn it by doing.
The Team Made the Difference
We don’t all work in the same room. We don’t cross paths every day. But Pritesh, VJ, Navanath, Kedar, and the others who were there made it feel effortless.
Something about events like these brings out a side of the team you don’t always get to see. The energy is different. The laughter is different. The collaboration feels lighter.
I’ve come to believe that occasional moments like these are not just nice to have. They quietly hold a team together in ways that daily standups never quite can.
Real Conversations Beat Presentations
Some of the best moments weren’t at any stage or session.
They were small chats at the booth. Someone walking up with a genuine question about whether Astra was right for their client’s project. Someone else who had been using the product for years and just wanted to say it had made their life easier.
Those moments reminded me of what I do every day in my role, just in a different setting. Customer delight isn’t just a job title. It’s a posture. It’s how you show up when someone walks up to you with a doubt.
Looking Ahead
WordCamp Malaysia is next. And a WordCamp India is coming up too, in a different city.
I didn’t expect to come back from Mumbai thinking about how much I want to do this again. But here I am.
It takes something like this to remind you why the work matters and why the community around it matters even more.
A small closing thought
Three days. A lot of conversations. A team that showed up fully.
I came back not with a list of things I learned, but with a feeling I want to hold onto. That showing up, even when you’re not sure what to expect, is usually worth it.