{"id":4395,"date":"2025-11-18T21:37:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T16:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/?p=4395"},"modified":"2025-11-18T22:03:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T16:33:10","slug":"in-loving-memory-of-zeel-thakkar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/in-loving-memory-of-zeel-thakkar\/","title":{"rendered":"In Loving Memory of Zeel Thakkar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the passing of <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.wordpress.org\/zeelthakkar\/\">Zeel Thakkar<\/a>, a beloved member of the WordPress community and organiser of <a href=\"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/\">WordCamp Asia 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zeel, who is from Ahmedabad, was attending <a href=\"https:\/\/surat.wordcamp.org\/2025\/\">WordCamp Surat<\/a> on November 16, and was rushed to the hospital as she took ill. Tragically she did not survive.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The entire WordPress community, both locally and globally are in a state of shock at this sudden and heartbreaking loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Zeel\u2019s legacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zeel was a prominent member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/ahmedabad-wp-meetup\/\">WordPress Ahmedabad community<\/a>. She served as an co-organizer for WordCamp Ahmedabad 2023 and 2025. She organised do_action Ahmedabad 2024 showcased her commitment to using WordPress for non-profit causes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was a contributor to WordPress 6.7 &#8220;Rollins&#8221; and 6.8 &#8220;Cecil&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was also very active in the <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/training\/\">Training Team<\/a> of the <a href=\"http:\/\/wordpress.org\">WordPress.org<\/a> project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2024, Zeel was the recipient of the <a href=\"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wordcamp-asia-2025-scholarship-recipients\/\">Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship<\/a> and travelled to Manila, Philippines as both a volunteer and scholarship winner at WordCamp Asia 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Locally this year she organised the <a href=\"https:\/\/events.wordpress.org\/ahmedabad\/2025\/womensday\/welcome-to-wp-nari-2025\/\">WP Nari Ahmedabad<\/a> event which was aimed at women in tech and WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, Zeel joined our team as an organiser in the Operations team.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Remembrance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The loss of someone so bright, talented and full of promise is deeply painful. Her passion for learning and her desire to help others realize WordPress&#8217;s potential defined her contributions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She found fulfillment in empowering others to explore what WordPress offers, and her collaborative spirit touched countless lives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zeel&#8217;s legacy will live on through the communities she built and the countless contributions she made to WordPress.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our thoughts and prayers are with Zeel&#8217;s immediate family, friends, and all who knew and loved her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Om Shanti!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the passing of Zeel Thakkar, a beloved member of the WordPress community and organiser of WordCamp Asia 2026. Zeel, who is from Ahmedabad, was attending WordCamp Surat on November 16, and was rushed to the hospital as she took ill. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11081103,"featured_media":4407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/In-Loving-Memory_Zeel-Thakkar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10337,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/zeel-thakkar-memorial-scholarship\/","url_meta":{"origin":4395,"position":0},"title":"Introducing the Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship","author":"Aditya Kane","date":"March 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Losing Zeel was a big setback to the entire organising team, and to honor her memory, we are launching the Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13538,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/announcing-zeel-thakkar-memorial-scholarship-recipients\/","url_meta":{"origin":4395,"position":1},"title":"Announcing Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship Recipients","author":"Aditya Kane","date":"April 08, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month, we announced the Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship to honor Zeel's memory and her contributions to the WordPress community. The response blew us away. We received over 80 applications from women across India and Nepal. Meet Our Ten Scholarship Recipients After careful review, we selected ten women from across\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4673,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/call-for-wapuu\/","url_meta":{"origin":4395,"position":2},"title":"Call for Wapuu Designs \u2013 Help Shape Our Official Mascot","author":"Sunita Rai","date":"November 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"WordCamp Asia 2026 is inviting the community to submit their own Wapuu designs! Whether you\u2019re a designer, artist, or Wapuu fan, you\u2019re welcome to create and share your version of WordPress\u2019s beloved mascot. Submit original artwork by January 15, 2026, for a chance to have your Wapuu featured across event\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Call for Wapuu - WordCamp Asia 2026","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/WCA26-Call-For-Wappu-LinkedIn-1200-%C3%97-639.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/WCA26-Call-For-Wappu-LinkedIn-1200-%C3%97-639.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/WCA26-Call-For-Wappu-LinkedIn-1200-%C3%97-639.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/WCA26-Call-For-Wappu-LinkedIn-1200-%C3%97-639.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/WCA26-Call-For-Wappu-LinkedIn-1200-%C3%97-639.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9867,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/meet-wapuulika-the-official-mascot-of-wcasia26\/","url_meta":{"origin":4395,"position":3},"title":"Meet Wapuulika: The Official Mascot of WordCamp Asia 2026","author":"Arundhati","date":"March 04, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Every WordCamp has a heartbeat. For WordCamp Asia 2026, that heartbeat has a name: Wapuulika. Draped in a vibrant sari with golden borders, jasmine in her hair, and confidence in her stride, Wapuulika represents the modern Indian woman shaping the future of the web. Laptop in one hand, a vada\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mumbai - India&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mumbai - India","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/mumbai-india\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12041,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/scholarship-recipients\/","url_meta":{"origin":4395,"position":4},"title":"Scholarship Recipients","author":"Meher Bala","date":"April 02, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Since WordCamp Asia's launch in 2023, it has been guided by three core values: Nurturing, Welcoming, and Experimental. Staying true to this vision, we\u2019re excited to announce the recipients of this year\u2019s scholarships. These scholarships reflect our continued commitment to building a more inclusive, innovative, and connected WordPress community. 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Together, we're offering two scholarships for WordCamp Asia 2026. This continues our efforts from past years. Two people will get the chance to attend Asia's flagship WordCamp in Mumbai. WordCamp Asia 2023 Diversity Scholarship WordCamp Asia 2024 Diversity Scholarship WordCamp\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WordCamp Asia 2026 Scholarships Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnY82-18T","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11081103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4395"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4414,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4395\/revisions\/4414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}