HYDERABAD: Hordes of tourists are flocking to the ghost city of Pripyat, Ukraine, after it became instantly famous following the HBO hit mini-series ‘Chernobyl’ that released in May. The series that aired on Hotstar in India is based on the events following the aftermath of the April 1986 nuclear plant explosion at Chernobyl, Pripyat in erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
Even as debates rage on about the accuracy of portrayal of incidents in the show, it has spurred influencers, bloggers and curious tourists to make a beeline towards the disaster site, morphing the area surrounding the destroyed reactor into a tourist destination. After the series was aired, ‘Chernobyl’ was the most Googled word worldwide across all generations. As fallout to the series, many influencers flocked to the site of arguably the world’s biggest nuclear disaster and put up their selfies on micro blogging sites.
While the increase in tourism is welcome, Instagrammers and Twitteratis in a bid to gather ‘likes’ posed in front of a burnt-out bus, an iconic ferris wheel, an abandoned swimming pool and a playground. Some even took ‘racy’ and provocative pictures in hazmat suits in the control room and on the grounds in what are referred to as ‘zone of exclusion’.
While some users supported it by saying “influencer-style pictures are simply the way we document our lives now”, but most others slayed them as being ‘insensitive’. The critics of these pictures said it showed ‘no respect’ for the many that lost their lives, were displaced permanently and for those who still suffer from the radiations caused by the accident.
The pictures even made the show’s writer Craig Mazin take to Twitter to comment about them. He tweeted, “It’s wonderful that #Chernobyl HBO has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion. But yes, I’ve seen the photos going around. If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred here. Comport yourself with respect for all who suffered and sacrifice.”
Radhika Acharya, consultant clinical psychologist, Deccan Hospital says, this behaviour “is due to innate tendency of human beings to enjoy others suffering with the feeling that it will not happen to us.” She comments on these pictures and says, “It is a show-off, attention seeking behaviour to say ‘I am there’, rather than a need to document visiting such a place.” She elaborates further, “Usually one would be filled with sadness or display empathy on visiting such sites.
This would be the correct emotion, but the smiling selfies show an obvious disdain for the associated trauma.”Delving further into the topic of ‘selfies’, Radhika says it can become “a mental health disorder” and is diagnosed as “borderline (clicking selfie three times a day, but not posting), acute (clicking three selfies and posting them all), and chronic (uncontrollable urge to click pictures the whole day and posting more than six daily).”
Not everyone is so critical though. Calling the “extreme backlash on the issue as making no sense,” Anupama Dalmia, an award-winning blogger, influencer and author points out, “There are always two sides to everything. It is important for us to acknowledge that we live in a social media world today.” Anupama says there is nothing wrong about taking selfies at the Chernobyl site, “as long as one is doing it respectfully.”
She cautions though and says, “While I am not someone who would police someone on what they wear, but to wear a bikini and click a selfie at this site is definitely not cool. One has to respect the sentiments attached to any place and shouldn’t get carried away just in the name of freedom.”Farzana Haque, Regional Director, The Wanderers says, “The series on Chernobyl has made the site popular and people’s excitement on being present there is helping spread the word, which is all the more great.” Farzana regularly books her “history buff” clients to places of historical importance. She says, of a site like this one though, that, “I support disaster site tourism if we can showcase it to a select few who can understand implications of nature and man’s impact on it.” She adds, “Also, it should ideally be a tie-up with disaster relief agencies and NGOs so the people who go also get a chance to help.”
tamanna@newindianexpress.com