Shiva Shanker Bhatta (@shivashankerbhatta) – WordPress user profile

Shiva Shanker Bhatta

Founder & CEO | Theme & Plugin Reviewer at AF themes and Go with WP

@shivashankerbhatta Kathmandu, Nepal joined Jul 2014

afthemes.com github.com/shivashankerbhatta Slack: @Shiva Shanker Bhatta

Teams Community Plugins Polyglots Themes

Languages ne

Bio

Hi, I’m Shiva Shanker Bhatta — Founder & CEO at AF themes, a passionate advocate for open-source publishing, and a dedicated WordPress contributor for over a decade.

WordPress changed my life. Today, I dedicate my time to ensuring it does the same for others by building tools, mentoring contributors, and leading community initiatives.

📍 Current Community Roles
🛡️ Plugin Review Team: Helping ensure the security and quality of the global plugin repository.

⚖️ Themes Team Representative (3+ Years): Leading the team to maintain high standards for the official Theme Directory.

🇳🇵 Locale Manager: Serving as Locale Manager for ne_NP and bridging the language gap for the Nepali community.

🎙️ Go With WP Founder: Leading podcasts, workshops, and training programs that helped spark the global Campus Connect program.

🏗️ Building & Mentoring
Through AF themes, I build fast, accessible, news-focused WordPress themes used by 100,000+ users worldwide. My focus is on empowering creators and publishers with high-performance open-source tools.

📜 Contribution History
I believe in the power of “building together.” Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as:

Media Partner & Organizer: WordCamp Europe (2025, 2026), WordCamp Asia (2023), and WordCamp Kathmandu (2016–2022).

Core Contributor & Polyglots Locale Manager: Pushing code and localizing the web.

Community Mentor: Helping newcomers grow from users into active contributors.

🤝 Support My Work
Contributing to the WordPress project is a significant part of my life. If you or your organization benefit from the themes I build, the reviews I conduct, or the educational content I produce via Go With WP, I welcome your sponsorship. Your support helps me dedicate more time to the Themes and Plugin teams and to growing the WordPress community in Nepal and beyond.

Let’s connect and build the open web — together.

Interests

WordPress development, open-source contribution, digital publishing, local journalism, podcasting, community building, mentoring, remote collaboration, no-code tools, teaching tech in schools

WordPress Origin Story

My Journey: From a Borrowed Laptop to Global Impact

My WordPress story began in 2010 with nothing but curiosity and a borrowed laptop. I was trying to help a friend launch a simple blog for a youth initiative in Nepal. I stumbled upon WordPress—and it changed the trajectory of my life.

Back then, I didn’t fully grasp the philosophy of “Open Source,” but I felt its power. I spent years experimenting, breaking things, and rebuilding. Eventually, I realized that WordPress wasn’t just software; it was a global community. I knew I wanted to be more than just a user—I wanted to be a builder and a bridge.

Building Tools & Breaking Barriers

That passion led me to found AF themes, where we build news and publishing tools for people like I once was: creators trying to make a big impact with limited resources. Today, those themes empower over 100,000 users worldwide.

But code is only half the story. I founded Go With WP to bring WordPress education to schools and universities across Nepal. Seeing the spark in students’ eyes led to initiatives that helped inspire what is now the global Campus Connect program.

A Decade of Giving Back
Because I remember exactly what it feels like to be a beginner, I’ve dedicated the last decade to serving the ecosystem that gave me so much:

Themes Team Leadership: Serving as a Rep for 3+ years to give back to the repository.

Plugin Quality: Joining the Review team to ensure a safer web for everyone.

Localization: Ensuring WordPress speaks Nepali (ne_NP) so the next generation in my home country can lead.

Global Connection: Serving as an Organizer and Media Partner for WordCamps from Kathmandu to Europe (2025-2026).

WordPress gave me a platform to create, teach, and grow. Every day, I work to ensure that same platform remains open, accessible, and life-changing for the next person with a borrowed laptop and a big dream.

Let’s connect and build the future of the open web together.

Badges

CODE

5 badges

Core Contributor '23 Plugin Developer Plugins Team '26 Theme Developer Themes Team '19

CONTENT

1 badge

Photo Contributor '23

COMMUNITY

2 badges

WordCamp Organizer '19 WordCamp Speaker '18

POLYGLOTS

2 badges

Translation Contributor '16 Translation Editor '17

Current Job

Founder & CEO | Theme & Plugin Reviewer

Present

AF themes and Go with WP

Recent impact

Score weights high-impact work (commits, releases, approved translations, props) at 3x routine activity.

Last 30 days

1contribution

high0

medium1

score1

Last 90 days

13contributions

high12

medium1

score37

Last 12 months

50contributions

high45

medium5

score140

Team focus

Share of contributions across teams during the last 365 days

WordPress releases

Contributed to 2 releases

Contributions

Type

June 2026

Jun 04 Thu · 14:59

Forums med

Posted a reply to 3.0.0 Critical PHP Error, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
Hi @zitoooo, Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention and providing the…

April 2026

Apr 26 Sun · 06:33

Themes med

Closed ticket #265362 on Themes Trac:
THEME: Substrata – 1.0.2

Apr 22 Wed · 17:07

Themes med

Closed ticket #265471 on Themes Trac:
THEME: bato – 1.1.1

Apr 22 Wed · 16:57

Themes med

Closed ticket #265783 on Themes Trac:
THEME: Oslou Tecnologia – 1.0

Apr 22 Wed · 16:33

Themes med