Astha Jain

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My WordPress Journey

For me, contributing to the WP community has always been about the thought. I believe in leaving every place a little better than I found it—however small, the impact is what matters. The community gave shape to this belief. I entered the community in 2023 as an organiser of WordCamp Bhopal, and since then, the journey has been nothing short of transformative.

In every organisation or event I’ve been part of, the idea has been to leave a legacy. To build a culture. To optimally utilise the opportunity. Whether it was leading a team as the project manager to build an NPO’s website at do_action Bhopal (my all-time favourite project), or participating in WCBhopal 2023 with a focus on feasibility, inclusivity, sustainability, & empowerment — each experience has strengthened this belief. The WP Build Tour, where we covered the whole of Madhya Pradesh (Central India) and introduced WP literacy to ~1700 college students, helped bridge the gap between theory & practice in tech education. And at the upcoming WordCamp Bhopal 2025, almost stepping into an HR role.

One of my favourite memories, however, is organising EmpowerWP Bhopal 2025 (Women’s Day event). To me, this event stood for more than WordPress/tech — it stood for community. Instead of going about the conventional audience of students & IT professionals, we intentionally targeted groups often left out of such events: homemakers with untapped potential, women on career breaks who wanted to upskill, small business owners who had not yet digitalised their work. It stood for bringing empowerment home. A one-of-a-kind digital revolution. The diversity in the room was incredible—students, entrepreneurs, journalists, homemakers, designers, freelancers, and not to forget, a Class 5 schoolgirl. It showed that when you open doors with intention, people walk through.

Could we have done even better? Definitely. But the real achievement was starting something meaningful, breaking a small glass ceiling, creating confidence, and showing women that this is not difficult, maybe just different.

Organising events is one thing. Adding purpose to them is another. In Bhopal, it has never been just about conducting an event. It’s about sparking change, even if the spark is small. And for this, I’m so grateful to the WordPress community for always being open and kind enough to welcome such ideas and encourage us to push boundaries.