Selfie — the innocuously exciting trick to effortlessly capture one’s own image on a smartphone — is fast earning the dubious sobriquet of ‘snuffie’, with one survey claiming that selfie stunts snuffed out more lives than unprovoked shark attacks across the globe in 2015.
On September 14, a 14-year-old athlete from Ranchi was fatally hit by a utility pole when he leaned out of a running train for an adventurous click. Four days later, five engineering students drowned in a lake in Telangana after one of them fell into it during a selfie attempt and the rest jumped in to save her.
The country reported at least 50 such ‘snuffies’ in the past two years. With people young and old missing the fine line between appreciating oneself and being dangerously obsessed, the Centre on August 10 sent an advisory to all states, asking them to identify accident-prone tourist spots and declare them “no-selfie zones”. The advisory has asked states to sensitise visitors through signboards, public address systems, barricades and awareness campaigns.
While Jharkhand’s tourism bosses are either out of town or unaware of the guidelines, Animesh Bisoee finds out what Jamshedpur residents have to say about the no-selfie order.
Jayanti Sarovar
Where: Inside Jubilee Park, in the heart of the steel city
USP: 20-acre lake offers stunning views, paddle boat rides
Risk factor: Comparatively safer with a depth of only 8ft
Toll: None in recent record
Dimna Lake
Where: In Patamda block, 13km from Jamshedpur
USP: Picturesque picnic and couple hangout spot
Risk factor: 235ft deep, viewpoint fencing only 4ft high
Toll: None in recent record
Chandil Dam
Where: Seraikela-Kharsawan district, 35km from Jamshedpur
USP: Surrounded by green mountains, hills, streams and rivers, it is naturally scenic
Risk factor: 250 metres deep; only 5ft high guard rails
Toll: None in recent record
Dalma Hills
Where: Seraikela-Kharsawan, 20km from steel city
USP: Hosts Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, a treasure trove of flora and fauna, a tiger family being the latest addition
Risk factor: Unfenced viewpoints overlooking deep gorges
Toll: None in recent record
Stop gambling with life
The central advisory, though late by a couple of years, is a move in the right direction. The state government should follow the guidelines to deter youngsters from unnecessarily putting their lives at risk. Hot spots like Dimna Lake, Dalma Hills and Jayanti Sarovar should be strictly monitored. People posing for perilous selfies should be taken to task
Shukla Mahanty, principal, Jamshedpur Women’s College
Campaign big to beat mania
Selfie can be a very dangerous obsession. I have seen people go click-click while trekking on treacherous slopes. One cannot afford diversion during certain challenging activities, but people throw caution to the wind. I welcome the central advisory. A massive campaign by the government and civil society outfits is needed to stem this fixation
Premlata Agarwal, Everester and Padma Shri
Team up against trend
The advisory should be followed to the letter. Signboards and barricades are missing from watery graves like Chandil Dam and Dimna Lake. The government should take help of voluntary outfits to enforce no-selfie zones
Ronald D’Costa, hotelier
Teach ‘em in schools
Merely putting up signage and penalising offenders won’t serve the purpose. Youngsters are known to defy orders. A better way is to create awareness at school and college levels while demarcating no-selfie points. Guards should be deployed in risky zones of Dimna and Dalma
Suresh Sonthalia, president, SCCI
