As Covid-19 forces families
across India to downsize or cancel their traditionally large-scale
weddings, one couple has found a venue unaffected by restrictions: the
metaverse.
Dinesh Sivakumar Padmavathi
and Janaganandhini Ramaswamy from Tamil Nadu, where wedding gatherings are
currently limited to 100 people, have invited 2,000 people to their virtual
reception next month. And as self-professed "Potterheads," or fans of
Harry Potter, the pair have opted for a Hogwarts-themed party that guests can
attend via their phones, tablets or laptops.
"Because of the
pandemic, a physical, real kind of reception is not possible with the huge
number of people attending," said Padmavathi, who goes by the name Dinesh
SP, on the phone from the southern state's capital of Chennai. "So, we
decided: let's make it in the metaverse."
Metaverse is a term used to
describe virtual 3D environments in which users can gather and interact. The
groom, a 24-year-old blockchain and cryptocurrency enthusiast, worked with
start-up platform TardiVerse to
create a castle-like digital space inspired by Hogwarts.
The legal wedding ceremony
will still take place physically in front of close friends and relatives in
Ramaswamy's village in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district, about 170 miles from
Chennai. But afterwards, the couple will log on to join their reception, which
is costing 150,000 Indian rupees ($2,016) to design, develop and host. The
one-hour event will see the newlyweds virtually address their guests, who will
be able to explore the castle and customize their avatars' appearance and
outfit.
As well as being able to
invite guests who couldn't otherwise attend, the couple said the digital
celebration has another unique advantage: they can involve Ramaswamy's late
father in the proceedings.
"My father-in-law
passed away last April," Padmavathi said. "So, I'm creating a 3D
avatar that looks similar to (him), and he will bless me and my fiancée. That's
something we can only do in the metaverse."
There have been reports of
other metaverse wedding events, including a US couple that held a physical
ceremony alongside a digital one on the virtual platform, Virbela. But while
Indian law requires witnesses to be present at marriage ceremonies, Padmavathi
believes that his reception in the metaverse will be the first ever of its kind
to be held in the country.
Having convinced his
fiancée, an IT worker, of the idea, Padmavathi also has his parents' approval
for the unconventional event, he said.
"From childhood, I've
been working with robotics ... and for the last year I've been working in
blockchain and mining Ethereum," he said, adding: "So my family knows
that I'm into tech."
Reference: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/india-wedding-metaverse/index.html
