32 Wednesday January 19 2022 | the times
Wo r l d
An Indian couple are to hold what the
groom claims will be the country’s first
wedding in the virtual reality “meta-
verse”, with a guest list in the thousands
including the “ghost” of the bride’s late
father.
Dinesh Sivakumar Padmavathi, 24,
and his fiancée, Janaganandhini Rama-
swamy, 23, are to hold their remote
wedding ceremony on February 6, as
lockdown restrictions in their state of
Tamil Nadu would prevent guests from
attending in person.
Padmavathi has invited family and
friends — as well as thousands of his
followers on Twitter and Instagram —
to join their online ceremony and re-
ception. “Around 5,000 might attend
based on the interest shown so far. Over
2,000 are absolutely certain,” he said.
“I know couples have been getting mar-
ried on Zoom but I wanted to go further
and be the first to have my reception
inside the metaverse. I also wanted to
introduce the metaverse to Indians.”
The metaverse is a network of 3D
virtual worlds, which can be viewed on
a standard computer monitor or
through a virtual reality headset. Users
choose graphical representations of
themselves, known as avatars, and can
For meta, for verse:
couple will be first to
wed in virtual reality
join others in meetings or events. The
couple’s avatars will be wearing tradi-
tional Indian wedding outfits but the
reception will have a Hogwarts theme.
The groom, a project associate at the
Indian Institute of Technology in
Madras, said he had created a YouTube
guide to the metaverse after having
trouble explaining it to his family.
Padmavathi is also honouring the
memory of his fiancée’s father. “He died
last year and I have created his avatar so
that he will be the one welcoming all
the guests,” he said. “That’s going to be
a very emotional moment for her.”
Padmavathi acknowledged that poor
internet service in his real-world loca-
tion, the village of Sivalingapuram,
would be overloaded if thousands of
guests wanted to connect. Reporters
calling him for interviews have strug-
gled to have even a brief conversation
without disturbances.
Padmavathi said that he and his fian-
cée would ride a scooter to the nearest
cell tower with a good signal, and co-
ordinate the event via a mobile phone.
Wedding planners have, however,
poured cold water on the idea taking off
in a country famed for its ostentatious
weddings. “The idea is totally un-Indi-
an,” Rajeev Jain, managing director of
Rashi Entertainment, said. “It may be-
come a fad for a while but not for long.”India
Amrit Dhillon Delhi
The adage that marriage is a serious
commitment has been underscored by
officials in southern Russia, who have
banned laughter and other expressions
of joy at register office weddings.
Officials in the Rostov region have
also barred visitors to register offices,
including brides and grooms, from
holding loud conversations, wearing
dirty shoes and carrying “big bags”
during wedding ceremonies.
Eating, smoking, drinking spirits,
walking aimlessly and “rearranging
pieces of furniture” have also been out-
lawed under the crackdown, the state-
run RIA Novosti news agency said.
“Can you cry?” one reader asked in
the comments section below the article.
Another noted that the new rules
would also be suitable for funerals.
Officials said weddings would last 40
minutes and be conducted in a “sol-
emn” atmosphere. The order came into
force on Monday. The reason for the
new rules was unclear.
Marriage has been steadily declining
in popularity over recent years, accord-
ing to official statistics.
In Moscow, in what could be an at-
tempt to encourage more weddings,
plans have been announced to allow
couples to get married in metro stations
and on cable cars as well as other “un-
usual places”.You may kiss
the bride, but
don’t giggle
Russia
Marc Bennetts MoscowThe couple will appear as avatars at their wedding and Hogwarts-themed reception