New Delhi: Popular Indian singer Daler Mehndi has bought virtual land on the Metaverse platform called PartyNite and named it ‘Balle Balle Land’.
PartyNite is a made-in-India venture and ‘Balle Balle Land’ is the creation of Hyderabad-based game studio Gamitronics. The land was inaugurated on Holi.
Mehndi was roped in by PartyNite to showcase the platform, which the company describes as a “digital parallel universe” running on blockchain. It also states that the platform can be used to “hangout with your friends as customisable avatars and have fun exploring new worlds, meeting new people, joining parties, attending events, playing games”. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) can be sold on the PartyNite platform too.
Mehndi has been quoted by BusinessToday as saying, “I went with an open mind on PartyNite Metaverse and it was a very rewarding experience. Audiences have moved online and I believe it is going to stay. The physical world has its own charm but with Metaverse, sky’s the limit. I really enjoyed performing on PartyNite and I wanted a permanent presence & hence created Balle Balle Land.”
Comments have flooded his YouTube video showing the ‘Balle Balle Land’s’ inauguration, with people congratulating him “on being the first Indian” to have purchased land on Metaverse.
Prior to this, Mehndi became the first musician from India to perform in the Metaverse, when he played at a concert on Republic Day. A post on his Instagram account from 13 March said Mehndi made history by becoming the “first Indian to perform in the Metaverse”.
Addressing PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in the caption, the singer said, “With all your good wishes I have had the honour to represent and lead INDIA into the Metaverse world” (sic).
Known for his popular numbers such as ‘Tunak Tunak Tun’ and ‘Ho Jayegi Balle Balle’, Mehndi is described on his website as the “messiah of masti”, “sardar of swing”, “the “pasha of pop”, “badshah of bhangra” and “bigger than the [English rock band] Beatles”.
Also read: How Neel Patel ‘conned’ Indians out of crores, with dreams of Atmanirbhar Bharat & a cheap iPhone