In a groundbreaking development, young entrepreneurs from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have recreated the historic Cellular Jail in Virtual Reality (VR). The initiative allows users to experience the hardships endured by India’s freedom fighters, including interacting with an AI-powered avatar of Veer Savarkar.
The Cellular Jail, also known as Kala Pani, stands as a silent testament to the struggles of India’s freedom fighters. Through this VR recreation, users can virtually explore the prison’s interiors, witness the grueling oil extraction process that prisoners were subjected to, and engage with AI-driven narratives that bring history closer than ever before.
This project is part of the XR Creator Hackathon, organised by Wavelaps in partnership with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The project aims to bring India’s heritage sites to life through immersive technology, offering a first-of-its-kind historical VR experience.
The team behind this initiative consists of young entrepreneurs from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, who are passionate about preserving and promoting India’s heritage through immersive technology.
Dinesh Lal (Lead Developer), Souvik Barua (3D Artist & Animator) and M Vinod (Environment Artist & Build Production Expert) have worked together to create this groundbreaking experience.
Dinesh Lal specialises in XR development and AI integration, bringing historical figures to life through AI avatars. Souvik Barua focuses on 3D modeling and animation, ensuring realistic recreations of historical sites.
M Vinod is responsible for environment design and builds production, making the virtual exploration of Cellular Jail as immersive as possible. Their vision extends beyond Cellular Jail - they aim to bring India’s historic sites and indigenous GI-tagged products to a global audience through VR.
Speaking about the XR Creator Hackathon, Dinesh Lal emphasised its role in shaping the future of technological education, saying, “This Hackathon inspires students to look beyond traditional study paths and explore emerging technologies like XR as a mainstream field. It’s a chance to step into the future and see how innovation can solve real-world problems.”
As India embraces XR as the future of digital storytelling and cultural preservation, collaborations like these will continue to shape the nation’s technological landscape. The success of VRkshetra is not just a milestone but a glimpse into an era where history, heritage, and commerce seamlessly merge with immersive reality, redefining how the world experiences India.
Wavelaps, a leading AR/VR company, provides consultancy to the Ministry in WAVES’ XR domain. The success of the Hackathon was further reinforced by the contributions of Bharat XR and XDG, two of India’s premier XR communities. The success of the Hackathon has been further reinforced by the contributions of Bharat XR and XDG, two of India’s premier XR communities.
Beyond historical immersion, team VRkshetra has taken innovation a step further by integrating VR with real-world commerce. The VR experience features a virtual marketplace where users can explore and purchase authentic indigenous products. Among them is Virgin Coconut Oil, once extracted under forced labour by prisoners and now produced by the Nicobarese tribal community. This oil has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, certifying its authenticity and cultural significance. Through this platform, users can not only experience these products in VR but also order them for home delivery, bridging the gap between the virtual and physical worlds.
