WordCamp Bengaluru 2026 takes place on 21 and 22 November. ShifteQ is one of its sponsors, and I will not be there.
Most sponsor posts end with an invitation to come and find them at their booth. We do not have one. This is a short note on why we are part of it anyway.
One word, two languages
Our sponsor tier is called Hitaishi. WordCamp Bengaluru writes it in Kannada, ಹಿತೈಷಿ, and translates it as well-wisher. The tier is new for 2026. It has no booth and no time on stage, and attending is optional. Somebody on that team understood that some people want to back an event without being there.
The same word exists in Hindi, हितैषी, which is the language I translate WordPress into. A Hindi dictionary gives it three meanings: well-wisher, friend, and benefactor. From Mumbai, I would like to be all three.
Friend
Many business trips to Bengaluru have left me with friends in the city, developers and designers I look forward to seeing every time I visit. I got to know the people behind WordCamp Bengaluru at other WordPress events, at WordCamp Asia in Mumbai and WP Future Conclave in Kozhikode, and along the way they became friends too.
Their WordCamp describes itself as built by volunteers, for the community. That means the schedule, the website and lunch for a few hundred people are all arranged in someone's evenings and weekends.
A friend helps where they can. I have been writing posts for the event's blog from home, and each one is one less thing for the team to worry about.
Benefactor
Benefactor is a big word for what we did, so I will keep this part simple.
A general ticket costs ₹800 and covers talks on two tracks, panels, a hands-on workshop and lunch on both days. That price is kept low on purpose, so that students, freelancers and people just starting out can come, and it does not cover what a WordCamp costs to run. Sponsors help close that gap. Sponsorship is paid through WordCamp Central, never to any one person, and it goes into a community-run, not-for-profit event. We are glad to carry a small part of it.
Well-wisher – ಹಿತೈಷಿ – हितैषी
A well-wisher does not have to be in the room. They only have to want the day to go well, and to send along the people who can go.
So if you are anywhere near Bengaluru that weekend, please get a ticket and go. If you can, the Friend of #WCBLR ticket helps keep the others affordable.
Your ticket also makes you eligible for Contributor Day on Saturday, 21 November. It has its own free sign-up and limited seats, so keep an eye on the tickets page for it. Do not skip it because it sounds technical. A Contributor Day is where I started contributing to WordPress myself, and many contributor teams need nothing more than a laptop and a WordPress.org account.
If you are not going either, you can still be a well-wisher. Tell one person who should be there. Sometimes a single message from someone they trust is all it takes.
To my friends organizing WordCamp Bengaluru: I wish you a smooth Saturday, a full Sunday, and a long, quiet Monday morning to sleep it off. I will be following #WCBLR from Mumbai, cheering for every photo.