Category: Travel

  • The time when I was in Bollywood


    As a kid, I grew up watching tons of Bollywood movies, and Mumbai has always been the place where all that magic happens

    So naturally, I had my own imagination of Mumbai shaped by all the films I had seen, famous locations, iconic scenes, especially that classic shot of pigeons suddenly taking off in front of CST station, signaling that the film is definitely set in Mumbai.

    Iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus(CST Station) in Background

    On November 7th, I went to Mumbai for the official venue visit for WordCamp Asia 2026. It was my first time in Mumbai and in India despite India being a neighboring country. Maybe I was just waiting for WordCamp Asia to choose Mumbai before making the trip.

    Having watched so many Bollywood movies, everything felt strangely familiar. As soon as I arrived, scenes from various films started playing in my head.

    When my co lead Vachan showed me Indias Stock Exchange building on the way from the airport, I immediately connected it with the movie Guru. And when I saw the Kaali Pili the black and yellow local taxis, I was reminded of Taxi No. 9 2 11.

    I even felt like I was in a Bollywood movie, especially when I rode the local train for the first time, because I have seen that scene in countless films.

    Main Agenda

    As one of the leads for WordCamp Asia 2026, I have a lot of decisions to make about different aspects of the event, so I needed to see the venue in person. That was the main reason for the Mumbai visit.

    Since I have been involved in all previous three editions of WordCamp Asia, I knew the venues were massive. But still, the first impression of the current venue JWCC was HUGE. I kept looking around, thinking about how big it was and how to make the most of it, especially since we are renting almost the entire place for the event days.

    A few snaps inside the venue of WordCamp Asia 2026

    WordCamp Asia Hype Gang with Gandhi Topi in the World’s Biggest Elevator


    Foods that I devoured

    Besides the main agenda, thanks to my co leads Meher, Vachan, Aditya, and the rest of the local team, I got lucky enough to explore so many foods and places in Mumbai.

    And yes, the very first thing I ate after landing was Wada Pav, which Meher brought for me when she and Vachan came to pick me up at the airport.

    Picture of me devouring my life’s first ever Wada Pav in the Airpot’s Uber parking before going to the hotel.

    All my local co organizers made sure I tried so many dishes that I literally gained 3 kilos during my five day stay in Mumbai.

    K. R. Rustom’s ice cream sandwich
    Me and Vachan doing cheers with our ice creams
    Bakery from Gaylord
    Ganne ka Juice cheers 😀
    Cafe Madras
    Breakfast in Cafe Madra
    Pineapple Halwa
    Filter Coffee
    Patra ni machhi
    Keema Pav
    Wada Pav
    Bun Maska
    World Famous Aditya’s Hand Made Sabudana Khichdi
    Unlimited Thali


    Tourist Cliche Activities

    Since I was a tourist, I naturally had to do touristy things: sightseeing, photographing buildings, roads, dogs, and dogs on roads.

    I stayed in Colaba in South Bombay, and it was full of historic and iconic structures that practically pull you back into Mumbai’s history.

    Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
    Bandra Station
    Mumbai High court
    Hotel Taj
    Gateway of India
    Arabian Sea
    Arabian Sea just at the end of the road
    Malabar Hill Elevated Nature Trail
    Statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Museum
    Charka in Museum
    Retro cameras in Museum

    My main agenda actually

    The real reason I am still motivated to continue my WordCamp journey is the people. With every WordCamp, I get to connect with new faces. There are folks I only meet at WordCamps, and every time one happens, it genuinely feels like a festival to me.

    Me & Meher Co Organizing 3 years in a Row
    Dinner with Events Team
    In Arundhati’s House 😀
    Selfie with Nirav, Anand & Pooja
    Selfie before JWCC people kicks us out from JWCC 😀
    Selfie at Madras Cafe, we ate a lot here 😀
    The co leads first selife without Aditya
    Selfie with Vachan for the first time despite of co organizing 4 years together 😀

    And here’s the final WordCamp Asia Leads Hype Gang Picture