Interview Series: An Interview with Utsav Singh Rathour

interview series - utsav singh rathour

Last month, we initiated a new interview series where we will be interviewing different WordPress personalities every month. So, for the month of May, we interviewed one of the most popular personas in the WordPress community of Nepal, Mr. Utsav Singh Rathour.

Utsav Singh Rathour is the co-founder of Code Pixelz Media. Also, he along with his team sell WordPress themes at Code Themes and Yudlee Themes. He is currently working on a WordPress outsourcing platform—WP Army. He is a very active WordCamp organizer in Nepal and also has spoken in many WordCamp events in the town. He is also the lead organizer for WordCamp Kathmandu 2019.

He has been working in the Information Technology field for quite a long time now. He started using WordPress in the year 2007, but he initiated his journey in WordPress as a WordPress developer later in 2009. He started off his career as an Art Director back in 2007 and ever since then, he has been on the WordPress platform.

During the interview, we tried to know a little more about the WordCamp Kathmandu, all the insides of getting involved in WordCamp Kathmandu events, and more. Here are some of the highlights of the interview.

Could you tell us something about yourself?

Well, I am Utsav Singh Rathour, a WordPress enthusiast. I am the community lead and the Lead Organizer for WordCamp Kathmandu 2019. I’ve been working on the WordPress platform and in the community for more than ten years now. And now, I’ve been given a great opportunity to be the Lead Organizer for WCKTM2019.

How do you feel about being a Community Lead and the Lead Organizer of WCKTM2019?

I feel privileged. Sure the responsibility is huge and there are definitely some certain pressures to make the event grand, but the excitement and privilege is much more than that. Being the lead organizer of WordCamp Kathmandu which has a good history is surely a huge responsibility.

What is going on currently in the WordPress community of Kathmandu and what are your plans for WCKTM2019?

The most important and the first concern right now for us is the WordPress 15th Anniversary Celebration that is going to happen this Sunday, May 27. We are planning to celebrate the 15th birthday of the most-loved CMS platform with our fellow WordPressers. Everyone is welcomed. However, you need to register your name so that we’ll know how many WordPressers to expect in the event. (Find the event details and register here for the event.)

When it comes to organizing WordCamps, we like to take things slowly; only a step at a time. We do not rush into things. And for WordCamp Kathmandu 2019, we’re still in the planning phase. We do have short and quick meetups frequently. A few of the background works are going on currently, such as venue research and all. So, yeah, we’re slowly planning for WCKTM2019.

How can people join the Volunteering Team in WordCamp Kathmandu?

Generally, we do a ‘Call for Volunteers’ for people, so that they can apply for the volunteer’s position. Once our official website for WCKTM2019 is up and ready after getting approved by WordCamp Central, we will announce an official ‘Call for Volunteers’ via our website. We will also announce them on our official Facebook Group as well. So, interested people and simply head over to the ‘Call for Volunteers’ section, fill up the form, attend meetups and that’s it.

And, how can people get involved in the Organizing Team? Do they need to have any past volunteering experience?

No, they don’t necessarily need the volunteering experience. But, if they do, that would be a plus point for the team. Being on the organizing team consists a little more workload than in the volunteering team. And the process to join the organizing team is the same as joining the volunteering team. The only difference is that it’s called ‘Call for Organizers’.

Could you please tell us how one can become a Lead Organizer for WordCamp Kathmandu?

In my case, my work experience and my consistency in the WordPress platform has stood out for me to become a Lead Organizer. I have been working in the community and involved in WordCamps in Kathmandu since the very beginning; since the year 2012. I have been speaking in WordCamps; nationally and internationally. I’ve been a part of the organizing team in WordCamps held here in Kathmandu time and again. Since I’ve been contributing and giving back to the community from the beginning, it has really helped me. I have been constantly putting in my time, my effort for the community. Our previous Lead Organizer, Mr. Yam B. Chhettri saw my effort and thought that I could take the lead for WCKTM2019. I am very thankful for that.

Do you feel pressurized being the Lead Organizer?

Definitely! Whenever you’re given a responsibility in the community for a particular event, the pressure is always there. In case of WCKTM, this is a big annual event; it’s been going on from 2012, which is a very long time. WordPressers from around the world come to attend WordCamp Kathmandu and we have to make the event memorable and better than the previous ones for everyone. And, to make the event better, it is always a pressure. It is a pressure that I would definitely love to take.

What are the advantages of being a lead organizer?

There are many advantages of being a lead organizer. The first one is definitely the exposure that you get. You get recognized by people in and outside of the community. You get to meet a lot of new people with different ideas and views from the same field, which is very interesting. So, networking is another major advantage of being a lead organizer.

Any disadvantages?

I’d say time. You need to take out your own time to get everything on the table for the WordPressers to enjoy the event. I’ve been asked by a few people if the surplus money from the previous WordCamps really get spent, where the surplus money actually goes or do organizers benefit from it. They believe that the ticket prices are too high and a lot of money is coming in for the event. So, I want to clarify that we, being the organizers, do not get paid. We work for it because we love it and it is our responsibility to give back to our community. It is all about contributing, not “benefitting” from it. For those who are concerned about the finances can go to the previous WordCamp websites to have a detailed look at the expenses and surpluses.

Are you excited about the upcoming WordCamp Pokhara 2018?

Yes, of course. We, the WordPress Kathmandu team has been organizing WordCamps since 2012 and it is the only WordCamps to happen till now in Nepal. For the first time, we are having a different city organizing a WordCamp event. WordCamp Pokhara 2018 is in November and it’s a very good news for everyone in the locality. And for us, it’s a good excuse to travel to Pokhara. We will make sure that WordPress Kathmandu helps WordPress Pokhara in every way possible to make the event grand.

Any words for the WordCamp Pokhara 2018 team? What message do you want to send out to the viewers about WCPKR2018?

Although I am the Lead Organizer for WCKTM2019 this time, I have been a part of the organizing team before as well. The only thing that I would like to say is that you will have a lot of critics; a lot of people trying to pull you down. So, just make sure you do your job well and the event will be a success. That is all that you need to do. Apart from that, nothing else really matters.

And for the attendees in general, make sure you grab the most out of WordCamps. There are people who have learned and made the most out of WordCamp Kathmandu; myself included. However, I’ve seen that attendees don’t actually make the most out of these events. They believe that WordCamps help you become a good developer, but WordCamps don’t actually do that. It sure helps in networking with great developers and give a few ideas on how to get started or betterments in developing. The purpose of WordCamps is different; it’s for networking and getting to know one another in the community.

Conclusion

It was a very informative and interesting interview on WordCamp Kathmandu with Mr. Utsav Singh Rathour, one of the strongest personalities in WordPress community of Nepal. You can find the full interview session with him on our YouTube Channel or you can also watch the video below:

WordPress Biratnagar is also planning to organize a local WordCamp in the town this year. So, best wishes from the DevotePress team to the WordPress community of Biratnagar! We hope to see an official date for WordCamp Biratnagar soon.

If you want to keep up with our monthly interview sessions and want to see more from us, consider subscribing to our YouTube channel – DevotePress.

We will be back with our monthly series of interviews next month with another well-known WordPress personality. Stay tuned!

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