Despite the futuristic world of a metaverse, this Chennai couple’s upcoming wedding reception has an old-fashioned focus on family
While most of the bride and groom insist on booking a venue, planning wedding banquets, trouser shopping and much more, Dinesh SP and his fiancee Janaganandini Ramaswamy are busy planning a metaverse.
When Tamil Nadu announced a lockdown on Sunday, it meant that Dinesh and Janaganandini had to limit their welcome guest list to 100 people. The couple, wanting to have their family and friends in attendance, decided to revise their plans for Sunday’s festivities. Offering the Metaverse a virtual setting for their wedding reception meant they could invite as many people as they wanted; The virtual guest list is now around 2,500.
The meta-reception will take place on the same evening, with the offline and intimate wedding taking place in the early hours of February 6.
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Dinesh tweeted about his and his fiancé’s decision, creating a lot of chatter about the reality of an alternate marriage where literally anything could have happened.
a whole new world
While the press coverage around the upcoming reception is largely celebrating the potential of something so tangibly traditional in the metaverse, Dinesh admits that some people are not accepting the concept so easily. However, he understands that this is ideal for a lot of people who are still adjusting to Zoom calls in lieu of offline face-to-face meetings.
“I certainly had to explain to a lot of people what the metaverse was and it took about an hour even for millennials, Gen Z-ers and people who also work in tech, later including Janaganandini who got into IT. work,” admits Dinesh. , He says, “I was happy to do this, especially with older people where I had to change the language to compare it to video games. Once they understood that only login access was required for the website and They were excited if they don’t need to install a new app or get any new hardware like a VR headset. It may take five years for India to integrate the metaverse, so I also want Indians to experience it now and Why not through marriage?
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A project manager at IIT Madras, Dinesh is no stranger to emerging technology such as the metaverse and offerings of blockchain and crypto. For the event, he approached Metaverse evangelist Vignesh Selvaraj, CEO of Tardiverse, a Chennai-based startup that is using blockchain technology to create a meta-space. Vignesh was immediately on board with the idea and the duo had to work as the timeline for creating this new world was tight. The process that leverages the Polgyon blockchain technology will require a mock drill on January 22 to test the space, and the TardiVerse team worked round the clock to make this happen.
IIT Madras Project Manager Dinesh SP and his future bride Janaganandini Ramaswamy are all set to have a Metaverse reception on February 6, 2022. The reception will have a digital avatar of the late father-in-law of the bride. , photo Credit: Dinesh S P
So how does one get in? In addition to being on the guest list, Dinesh explained that the meta-reception will have a gateway in the form of a blockchain wallet that requires a unique and secure login. Once a guest logs in, they can choose their avatar based on the gender and appearance of their choice. Then, you can walk around the virtual reception space and watch the sub-married couple.
Potterverse meets Metaverse
the best part? It’s all set in the Great Hall of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Dinesh and Janaganandini, having met for the first time on a work project, soon discover a mutual love for Harry Potter and the two ideas, given the malleable nature of the Metaverse, why not celebrate their love in the famous feast hall, Where the Sorting Hat told Harry Potter it would be in Gryffindor, where Ron Weasley received a very quick and furious howler letter from his mother, and where the Yule Ball, speckled with snow, took place?
One has to ask: Will a meta-food like virtual biryani or sambhar rice be on display… maybe some butterbeer? Dinesh laughs, “Have an idea to think about! I’ll be checking to get that putt this week. But I look forward to the future of Metaverse integrating technology where you can literally taste or smell something.” “
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Between intricate technology and impressive visuals, love and family are at the center of the meta-reception. One of the most important guests, an avatar of Janaganandini’s father, who passed away in April 2021, will be ‘present’ at the meta-reception. “I thought of giving life to my future father-in-law in the metaverse,” says Dinesh, who saw how his fiancé was coping with loss.
Although the event is taking place at Hogwarts, the tradition is still important to the couple; His avatar would be dressed in the clothes of one Sari And a Vesti, while Janaganandini’s father will be in a kurta.
Dinesh wants to entertain his guests as much as possible in order to lift the spirits and share in the happiness of himself and his future wife; So he and Vignesh will have animated renders of famous Harry Potter characters present for the guests to ‘meet’.
“After all, while I love technology and all things blockchain and the metaverse,” Dinesh proudly concluded, “this whole thing is a gift for my girl.”
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