Durga Puja is a chaotic period of the year, especially for the probashi Bengalis. They are the ones who miss the majority of what takes place during Kolkata’s pujas. Now that technology has advanced significantly, particularly during the pandemic, Durga Puja 2022 in Kolkata was also held on a metaverse.
A Meta Puja was created by combining the Metaverse with Durga Puja. The people outside of Kolkata could see a couple of pujas in the meta world thanks to this excellent news.
What is Meta Pujo & How Durga Puja 2022 Pandal Hoppers Benefit from It?
The Meta Puja organisers can assist with Durga darshan using the 3D platform, along with the technology experts Metaform, XP&DLAND, and Spatial. People worldwide could enter the platform built in the shape of a pandal and see the puja is performed.
Pandal hopping from home thanks to this platform’s global accessibility. Numerous activities are available on the platform for users who enter the virtual environment. They can even make their avatars, starting with wandering, moving around, chatting, and taking pictures.
Durga Puja 2022 Pandals in Kolkata Feature Vignettes of Europe
Despite what many people may think, Europe is still alive and well in Kolkata. This year’s Durga Puja features the magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, war-torn Ukraine, with images of the suffering of its people and a cheerful sprinkle of the Paris-based UNESCO.
Numerous neighbourhoods in Kolkata have a hint of Europe-
The pandal in Kestopur’s Nazrul Park Unnayan Samity shows a building in Ukraine that has been destroyed by conflict. The pandal’s walls appear to have had the concrete blasted away, revealing the framework. The pandal is built of wood, fabric, and papier-mache.
The UNESCO logo is incorporated into the pandal at the 96-year-old Kidderpore Sarbojanin. The gratitude the city feels for being included on the UNESCO list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity has not been fully expressed by two rallies and a felicitation.
When the announcement of the global recognition was made last year, the 2022 pandal commemorating 75 years of Indian Independence was already planned. The Parthenon, a temple in Athens that is recognised as the best example of Greek architecture, served as inspiration for the design of the UNESCO emblem.
The UNESCO inscription is mentioned in various ways at every other significant puja. A copy of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City has been built for the puja at the Sreebhumi Sporting Club.
Experiencing Durga Puja in Metaverse
The Metaverse, a virtual reality environment, has quickly gained popularity since its introduction and is now the centre of many different activities. The location has seen everything, from gaming sessions to virtual travel, fashion exhibits, and concerts. And now, the celebrations are going to improve the virtual world experience. This year’s Durga Puja celebrations in India have evolved into a MetaPujo, with virtual twins of numerous notable pandals in Kolkata. Visitors will have access to these pandals and be able to use the Metaverse to have a whole different experience.
Four puja pandals — Ahiritola Sarbojanin, Deshapriya Park, Ballygunge Cultural, and Tala Prattay — underwent this creative Durga darshan. Through the meta versions of these pandals, people who want to see these gorgeous pandals can do so. Therefore, such an initiative simply served to make the celebration more accessible to Bengali people who could not go to Kolkata to attend the festival in person or go pandal hopping. Pujo in the metaverse undoubtedly meant a lot to Bengalis who didn’t live in Kolkata.
It may be difficult to inform people about this new format, but eventually, the metaverse will become part of “mass culture’’. With the advent of 5G, India has already surpassed 700 million active internet users. Meta has replaced Facebook as the company’s new moniker, and everything is moving toward real-time digital experiences. With time and declining prices, hardware and software will democratise and become more accessible.
We’re not charging for this Durga Puja 2022, but Mr. Bajaj promised they would start charging for the next puja. Indian software expert Ashish Sen, who lives and works in Germany, expressed his joy at Durga Puja’s emergence in the meta world.
