Ten years of Hasgeek

From volunteering to speaking, mentoring & sketchnoting — Hasgeek helped me shape my identity beyond my day job.

Droidcon (2011) was the first conference I ever volunteered for. Fresh out of college in a new city, it was the perfect opportunity to meet the passionate folks from Hasgeek & BLR Droid. I knew nothing about the tech community in Bangalore (or India!), and this conference got me to build these relationships outside of work. Over the years, I’ve volunteered for other design conferences and have always used Hasgeek’s conferences as a benchmark — from strong curation to encouraging inclusivity.

Fifth Elephant (2014) was the first conference I spoke at. Who thought a talk on art would get shortlisted in a data science conference? The response to the talk made me realize the importance of talking about design & art at technical conferences, and not waiting till you’re an expert to share your knowledge.

Geekup (2011) was the first event I sketchnoted a talk at. Rahul Gonsalves & Divya spoke on web technologies, and I shared quick doodles from the session. I found the process of sketchnoting similar to being in a state of flow, and others also enjoyed revisiting the highlights of the talks. Next year, Kiran & Anu gave me a chance to do a short Sketchnoted Guide to speaking at MetaRefresh (2012) & Zainab later invited me to do sketchnotes for a bunch of sessions at Fifth Elephant (2018) — my first paid gig to sketchnote live!

All these experiences were possible because of the trust that Kiran, Zainab & others shared in the community. Hasgeek made me value learning through, growing among, and giving back to a community.

Look many more decades of you all inspiring everyone!