Dear Editor, The audacity to take selfies while standing in front of a moving train, took lives of four youths in Gurugram. The deceased youth, in 20 to 25 years age-group, were standing on railway track and were so busy in taking selfies from mobile that they could see the train coming behind. Ajmer-Sarai Rohilla Jan Shatabdi train coming from behind, was in its speed, and passed over the young men before they step aside from track after taking photographs. This is not the first case of someone losing his life while taking a selfie. Taking a selfie in risky situations has now become a new category for accidents occurring all over the world. Well yet latest studies are not available, but in year 2018, the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care did a study regarding selfies, wherein it was found that between 2011 and 2017, 259 people all over world lost their lives while taking selfies. Unfortunately, more than half of these cases are from India. After that comes Russia, America and Pakistan. This study was done on basis of newspaper reports, which also means that the actual number of such fatal accidents could be much higher. Again, we do not know the number of incidents in which people taking such risks may have narrowly escaped or been injured. Psychologists have made several speculations about why selfie accidents are so common in India. One, it is said that for the first time, the smart-phone has made the camera available in hands of everyone. The picture which could be taken earlier only on certain occasions, can now be taken at any moment. That’s why the trend of taking photos with mobile cameras has increased very fast in India. In almost every public or private place, in every public or private function, people will be found taking photos and taking selfies. The second reason is that countries of the world that have rapidly adopted social media after the advent of smart-phones, with India also included. What is called the craze of selfie in the whole world, it has actually been promoted by the social media. It is a media with which crores of people are connected and in which there is a competition to grab the attention of the people. In a competition to outdo each other, people try to capture their own weird selfies and are often ready to take any level of risk for it. At this time it is a matter of concern all over the world that how to stop this trend? Australia has also issued an advisory on selfies. At many places, warning boards have been put up in accident prone areas. Such boards were also put up during Kumbh. India’s Ministry of Tourism and Mumbai Police have also identified such dangerous places. There is also a suggestion that just as there is security guards on beaches; guards should be posted at railway stations as well. Creating awareness in this matter and including such subject in the curriculum of children can also be adopted. Somehow this dangerous trend has to be stopped. Vijay Garg.
