Children's adorable 'selfie' photo is an internet sensation thanks to their flip-flop camera

An Indian photographer and film producer shared a picture of a group of children pretending to take a selfie in a rural area of the Asian country, an image that caught the hearts of many social media users.

53-year-old Atul Kaskebar, known for his work as a Bollywood film producer, was captivated by the sight of these five children and he used it as a message about the joy of childhood and the world we live in.

Social media is all about selfie, but there was a detail in this photograph of four boys and a girl happily looking at their pretend cellphone/camera that made it very special. The children were actually using a flip-flop to “take” it.

“I’m sharing this image that came in on text cause d unbridled innocence n joy of these lovely kids moved me n made me smile in equal measure. Super image that asks questions. If anyone can reliably locate these munchkins n d photog(sic) I’d love to personally send them something each.”

-Atul Kaskebar, Twitter, February 3, 2019.

Kaskebar’s post has more than 2000 likes and has been retweeted more than 400 times, apart from receiving thousands of comments of people who relate to the adorable picture.

“I feel this is the most loved and shared pic, keep spreading as it's really spreading a special "Smile" #Love along with it,” wrote user Ashishkumar Tailor.

Another user quoted British author Kurt Chambers writing, “The innocence of children is what makes them stand out as a shining example to the rest of Mankind.”

Others referenced economic inequality in their comments, in contrasting ways. “This poverty must end. This spirit must prevail,” said Geeta Gopalan, while somebody else added: “Money doesn’t buy such happiness.”

There were also skeptics that questioned the nature of the image, with some users saying it was staged, and others going as far as claiming that the picture had been photoshopped.

Whether it was staged or not, it is hard to say. Kaskebar has tried to use social media to reach out to the photographer who took the snapshot, but he hasn’t found this person yet.

About the image being digitally edited, Kaskebar replied by saying he had three post-production experts confirming the image was not photoshopped.

Kaskebar was not the only Bollywood personality that shared the viral image. 59-year-old actor Boman Irani took to his Instagram account to post a bigger version of the shot, which shows that the children are barefooted.

Irani’s post received more than 55,000 likes. “You’re only as happy as you choose to be,” the Indian star captioned the photo.

Selfies have generated much discussion recently, with people warning about the possible dangers of different natures children and teenagers might face because of their fondness for this practice.

These dangers can be psychological, social, sexual, and actually life-threatening if selfies are attempted at the wrong moment or place. But at least to one man, a selfie was key to save him from a horrible fate.

21-year-old Christopher Precopia, from Texas, was wrongfully accused of breaking into a woman’s home and attacking her with a box cutter, and he was going to be sentenced to 99 years in prison.

But luckily for him, he could prove his alibi, which was that he had spent the night in an Austin hotel with his mother Erin the night when the crime took place, thanks to a selfie she took with him and which she had posted to social media.