Viral video shows Northeast train passengers taking responsibility for cleanliness

A viral video from a passenger train in India’s Northeast has drawn widespread attention for showing how civic responsibility can help keep public spaces clean.

The video, shared on Instagram by a user named @daily.passenger, features passengers travelling on the Aizawl to Guwahati train collecting their own waste and neatly packing it in small bags.

In the footage, passengers are seen tying their trash in bags and hanging them beside their seats instead of discarding it inside the train or throwing it out of windows.

The caption accompanying the video notes that there were no announcements or instructions from railway authorities, describing the practice as a habit rather than an enforced rule.

Public cleanliness, particularly on trains, has long been a subject of debate in India, where littering by passengers is frequently cited as a major concern. The video has been widely shared as an example of how individual behaviour plays a crucial role in maintaining hygiene, independent of official enforcement.

The user who posted the video reflected on the contrast with experiences in other parts of the country, saying that clean public spaces are sustained not only by authorities but by people choosing to care. The post highlighted the North East, particularly Mizoram, as a region from which others could learn about respect for public spaces.

Social media users praised the passengers’ behaviour and expressed hope that similar practices would be adopted elsewhere in India. Several commenters said the video demonstrated that cleanliness depends more on civic sense than geography.

Others recalled being taught from childhood to carry waste until it can be disposed of properly, and urged that collected trash be safely disposed of rather than thrown onto railway tracks.