Introduction
This year, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the GNOME Asia Summit 2024 in Bengaluru as a contributor. Looking back, it feels like a full-circle moment. Last year, I was a volunteer at GNOME Asia Summit 2023, which was held in Nepal. I helped with content writing, social media management, and various other tasks, and it was such an inspiring experience.
After the summit in Nepal, GNOME Nepal was officially formed, and I became one of the leading contributors right from the start. I led the team to build our community website along with hosting it in own GNOME domain(nepal.gnome.org) and took on technical responsibilities. Now, as a GitHub maintainer, I review pull requests, propose new features, and assist developers who want to contribute.
Acknowledging these contributions, I was sponsored to attend the GNOME Asia Summit 2024 in Bengaluru. The journey, the summit, and everything in between were unforgettable, and I’m excited to share my experience!
Journey to Bengaluru
My journey to Bengaluru for the GNOME Asia Summit 2024 started with a lot of excitement and a bit of adventure. I traveled with my fellow speakers, Anuroj and Siddharth. We first flew from Kathmandu to Jhapa, where we stayed for the night. The next day, we headed to Bagdogra to catch our flight to Bengaluru.
Our flight was scheduled for 2:15 PM, but, as travel often goes, it was delayed by two hours. Despite the delay, the excitement kept our spirits high, and we finally landed in Bengaluru at 7 PM. That night, we decided to explore the Bengaluru streets.
We ended up eating the famous Hyderabadi Biryani. It was such a flavorful and satisfying meal—a perfect way to kick off the summit experience. The night out gave us a chance to unwind, bond, and get a taste of Bengaluru’s vibrant food culture, setting a great tone for the days ahead.
The Summit Experience
We started Day 1 of the summit by heading to the conference location at the Red Hat office in the Carina building block. After registering, we received our swags—stickers, pins, and more—and then it was time for the talks to begin.
Day 1:
I attended some amazing sessions from speakers like Jona Azizaj, Smera Goel, Akaashdeep Dhar, Naveen Kumar, and many more. Each talk was insightful, and I learned a lot about GNOME and the open-source community.
Later, we had the Fedora release party, where there were great swags and delicious rolls (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian) for lunch. The sessions continued after that, and I also got to hear talks from Nepalese speakers, which was a proud moment for me.
There was also coffee vending machine sponsored by Red Hat Pvt. Ltd. It kept us energized throughout the day and was definitely a cherry on top. On that day, we also helped Aryan Kaushik to plan the Ubuntu release party. We found the perfect venue called Toit, which turned out to be a really comfy place.
After the first day wrapped up, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and then went out for dinner. We ate dosa and sambar, which was light, delicious, and became one of my favorite meals (right after biryani from the night before).
Day 2:
The second day was just as packed with great sessions. I attended talks by Aryan Kaushik, Sumantro Mukherjee, Om Prakash Sharma, and Samyak Jain. And of course, we had more coffee from Red Hat to keep us going.
In the evening, we had the Ubuntu release party at Toit, where we cut a cake and enjoyed some tasty pizzas, all thanks to Aryan for treating us! It was a perfect way to end a busy day, surrounded by fellow contributors and speakers.
Both days were filled with inspiring sessions, great food, and the best part—connecting with amazing people in the open-source community!
After a busy day of sessions, we headed out to explore Bengaluru. We first stopped for Haradadi Biryani. Then, we visited a coffee shop, where we played games like Jenga and relaxed. It was a fun, chill evening that gave us a chance to bond with fellow speakers and contributors before getting ready for the next day of the summit.
Day 3:
It was an trip with fellow speakers and GNOME Foundation members. After two intense days of conference sessions, we took some time to explore Bengaluru’s sights. We started by visiting the Bengaluru Museum, where we got a chance to learn more about the technology and culture.
The day was full of sightseeing, and it was a great way to relax and enjoy some downtime with people we had met during the summit. We visited other local attractions and shared stories, experiences, and laughs.
In the evening, we(Me, Aaditya and Sailesh) went out again to explore Bengaluru by night. We sipped on Puneri chai and tried some delicious local street food, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of the city. We clicked pictures, chatted, and made more memories. It was an awesome end to a fantastic day, wrapping up a trip I’ll never forget!
Closing Remarks
Attending the GNOME Asia Summit 2024 in Bengaluru was an unforgettable experience. From the incredible sessions and networking with open-source enthusiasts to the fun nights out exploring the city, every moment was memorable. I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect with so many amazing people, learn from inspiring talks, and be part of a community that’s truly passionate about making a difference in the tech world.