KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India 2025: A Transformative Experience in Hyderabad

Posted on September 19, 2025 by audra My journey from Sri Lanka to India’s premier cloud-native conference A Dream Come True: The Dan Kohn Scholarship I’m thrilled to share my incredible experience at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India 2025 in Hyderabad, made possible through the prestigious Dan Kohn Scholarship from the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). My heartfelt gratitude goes to Kanchana Wickremasinghe, Audra Montenegro, and Wendi West from CNCF for selecting me from the KCD Organizer digest, and special thanks to Kemila De Silva for nominating me. This opportunity opened doors to an unforgettable learning and networking experience that will shape my cloud-native journey for years to come. Reuniting with Fellow Sri Lankan Cloud Native Leaders One of the most exciting aspects of this trip was meeting my fellow KCD organizers and CNCF ambassadors Kemila De Silva and Chamod Shehanka Perera. These amazing individuals traveled to Hyderabad to speak on the first day of KubeCon, representing the vibrant Sri Lankan cloud-native community on an international stage. Day 1: Keynotes, Connections, and Big Announcements Our first day began with the essential conference ritual of collecting our badges and heading to the keynote hall. The energy was palpable, with thousands of cloud-native enthusiasts gathered under one roof. A Brief but Memorable Encounter After the keynotes, we had the privilege of meeting Chris, the CTO of Cloud Infrastructure at CNCF. Despite his hectic schedule, he graciously took a minute to speak with us, a testament to the inclusive, welcoming nature of the CNCF community. Exciting News: KubeCon 2026 Mumbai During the initial keynotes, we received thrilling news: KubeCon 2026 is coming to Mumbai in July! This announcement was met with thunderous applause and signals the growing importance of India in the global cloud native ecosystem. Solution Showcase: Unexpected Sri Lankan Connections The Solution Showcase proved to be a treasure trove of discoveries. We were delighted to meet two fellow Sri Lankans making their mark in the cloud-native world: Exploring Cutting-Edge Observability The showcase floor buzzed with innovative technologies.