Atri Das, organizer of GDG Kolkata DevFest 2025, spoke to Wiki Kolkata about the broader vision, priorities, and long-term direction of the developer community, emphasizing that GDG initiatives extend well beyond a single annual event like GDG DevFest.
According to Das, GDG Kolkata is one of the major developer communities in Eastern India, with a sustained focus on continuous learning and ecosystem development. He stated that artificial intelligence is a central theme for the current year, reflecting broader shifts in the technology landscape. The community aims to help developers and students understand how to evolve alongside AI and apply it effectively over the long term. Along with AI, GDG Kolkata continues to support learning across multiple technology domains, including Android, Flutter, web development, and cloud technologies, encouraging a cross-stack approach to skill development.
Mr. Das highlighted that an important long-term objective of GDG Kolkata is to bring new contributors into the ecosystem. This includes identifying and nurturing new speakers from the local community, which he said helps diversify perspectives and strengthen the region’s developer network.
Explaining the speaker and topic selection process, Das noted that while Google technologies remain a core criterion, local relevance and fresh voices are equally important. Speakers are selected through an open Call for Proposals (CFP), where submissions are reviewed based on the value and inspiration they can offer to students and new developers. He clarified that speaker selection is not influenced by background or prior status but by the merit and impact of the proposed talk.
Das also outlined how this year’s DevFest differs from previous editions in Kolkata. Unlike earlier events, the current DevFest is being conducted over two days. The first day was dedicated entirely to workshops focused on generative AI topics, including tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and cloud technologies, with sessions led by Google Developer Experts. The second day was reserved for the main talks and session-based discussions, allowing for broader participation.
When discussing how the success of DevFest is measured, Das acknowledged that attendance numbers are an important metric but stressed that meaningful outcomes matter more. He explained that success is reflected in how attendees apply what they learn, the quality of networking opportunities, and direct interactions with speakers and industry professionals. According to him, the community provides a platform that enables participants to connect with experts from major technology organizations and take those learnings back into their professional journeys.
Looking ahead, Das shared that GDG Kolkata plans to organize multiple follow-up initiatives after DevFest, including hackathons and workshops. These activities are intended to encourage continued engagement, collaboration, and skill development while bringing new contributors into the community.
Concluding the interaction, Atri Das thanked Wiki Kolkata for its role as a media partner and acknowledged the effort invested in its websites and video content, which he described as inspirational. He characterized the collaboration with Wiki Kolkata as positive and constructive. In his final remarks, Das stated that the session was well conducted and appreciated the questions for being focused and aligned with audience interests.
Article by : Arunangshu Banerjee
