After a decade of deep involvement with the open-source community in India – building projects, organizing meetups, and fostering communities.
This plan marks a deliberate transition from being a builder and organizer to becoming an enabler and investor in the next generation of contributors. Over the past ten years, my journey has been shaped by the collaborative energy of local meetups. It has also been influenced by the shared passion of the Indian FOSS movement.
Now, with the benefit of time and financial resources, the focus shifts to creating structured opportunities for others at scale. This document outlines a personal initiative that I am undertaking. It’s designed to give back to the community with the aims of giving back even more.
The Initiative: Lifting as I climb
The core philosophy I am pursuing it to create pathways for others while continuing one’s own journey. The plan is built on a two-pronged approach designed to offer both sustained guidance and high-impact opportunities.
- Getting There Scholarship: Short Term assistance system, provides free or assisted access to events through financial means for high-impact opportunities. Enables learning, giving back to the community and network-building for promising individuals.
- Open Source Mentorship: Long-term support system, designed to equip people with the skills and confidence needed to become active participants in the community, take charge of their career and build a platform.
These two programs are designed to be complementary. The mentorship program builds a strong base of skills and community understanding over time, while the scholarship program enables that critical moment of connection that pivots people towards open-source.
The Mentorship
Meant for early-career professionals seeking to make meaningful open-source contributions, and people looking to transition into the tech industry with open source as their entry point.
The program is structured as a multi-week engagement intended to guide participants from being curious observers to active contributors. I will be freeing up 1-2 hours each week to organize Weekly Group Calls of one-hour group sessions.
More than sharing the lessons, mistakes, and successes from a decade-long journey, the goal is to help new contributors find their unique place within the vibrant open-source community.
More details coming soon! Watch this space ❤️
The Scholarship
A rolling program where I would be giving away free tickets as a way for folks in need to contribute back to the ecosystem. Includes,
- Pre-Conference Mentorship: A dedicated one-hour group mentorship sessions before the event, focused on maximizing the conference experience. Topics will include practical strategies for networking (especially for introverts), selecting the most relevant talks and workshops, and preparing to connect with project maintainers.
- Full Conference Ticket: One conference ticket to the scholar’s choice.
- Post-Conference Action Planning: One group session after the conference to synthesize learnings, share experiences, and develop a concrete action plan for continued open-source contribution.
People I am Looking Back
The selection process is to identify individuals with high potential, regardless of their formal background. I am looking for intrinsic motivation, deep sense of ownership and a community-oriented mindset. Ideal candidates will embody one or more of the following archetypes:
- The Spark of a Builder: Candidates should demonstrate a proactive drive to create. This does not require a polished resume but can be shown through a small personal project on GitHub, a blog documenting their learning journey, or involvement in organizing a local meetup. The key is evidence of initiative.
- The Catalyst for Impact: Applicants should articulate a clear vision for how they will leverage the scholarship opportunity to make an impact—whether on a specific open-source project, within their local community, or in their own career path.
Applications are strongly encouraged from, and will be prioritized for, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and members of any other group that is historically underrepresented in the Indian technology sector.
How to Apply: Your Call to Action
The application process is designed to be straightforward and clear. Reach out on any of the platforms with a written proposal. Once accepted, this written proposal is will be published publicly to maintain accountability and public record of folks committing their time same as I am documenting.
As part of the application, candidates should submit a brief 250 word Action Plan.
1. A specific project, technology, or community they want to explore at the conference.
2. Specific speakers, projects, or companies they hope to connect with.
3. A concrete, achievable goal for the end of the event.
Agree to the Deliverable: By accepting the scholarship or mentorship, recipients agree to a “give-back” deliverable. Within two weeks of the conference’s conclusion, each scholar must write and publish a blog post sharing their experience, key learnings, and advice for future attendees.
Tracking it all
The documentarian in me doesn’t rest. I will be tracking all of this on my docs.mixster.dev
Pages coming soon.
The Why: That time when I attended my first Conference
This entire initiative is rooted in a deep sense of gratitude to the community. Walking into that room as a newcomer, feeling lost but being met with a welcoming and supportive environment, fundamentally changed the trajectory of my life and career.
The mission has now evolved beyond contributing code; it is about investing in the people who will define and build the future of free and open-source software in India. For all those who are ready to build, learn, and lead, this is an open invitation to join the journey.
I am looking to do the same for people. Mint the new line of organizers, community movers and maintainers who are contributing to open-source ethically.