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.

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

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.