A content creator’s “protest safai vlog” from a student protest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, has gone viral. The vlogger, Faraz Shams, intended to highlight the mess but was surprised to find protestors diligently cleaning up after themselves, showcasing remarkable civic sense.
A video from Jantar Mantar caught the attention of social media users for a different reason, as students and activists in Delhi continue to protest against frequent exam paper leaks and call for changes to the educational system. In the “protest safai vlog,” a content maker from Delhi emphasised how demonstrators disposed of their own trash at certain locations in an effort to keep the area tidy.
The video, which Faraz Shams posted on Instagram, started out light-heartedly with the author claiming that he had big bags ready to pick up trash from the protest site. However, he was somewhat aback by what he saw—people were already tidying up after themselves, so he hardly found any rubbish.
He then walked around the site to pick up any garbage before he came across an empty water bottle kept on the window of a vehicle. “Main toh phir bhi hasi mazak kar rahu hun, wahan par log seriously kooda ikkatha kar rahe the (I was still joking around there but there were people who were seriously collecting garbage),” he said in the clip, adding that students were picking up all the trash.
He once playfully stole a food packet from a man who was still eating it. Later, he claimed that nobody was leaving any garbage behind when he sat down on the sidewalk with his nearly empty bag. Everyone was taking care to properly dispose of their rubbish.
He asked individuals if they had any garbage with them so he could gather it to fill his bag throughout the video. He also participated in the cleanup work by cleaning up whatever trash he came across, including food containers, bottles, and other debris.
He was once spotted begging passersby to toss rubbish into his bag after a fellow protestor provided him a glove after observing that he was gathering trash with his bare hands. This gave him newfound vigor.
Watch Viral Video
He eventually filled the bag and disposed of it at a location where the remaining trash from the site was being picked up. In the caption, he added, “Salute to everyone who is taking this responsibility in protest.”
How Did Social Media React?
The humorous “safai” vlog has since gained immense traction online, leaving people in splits, with many users praising the protestors for maintaining cleanliness despite such a large-scale gathering.
“Gen-Z knows what is civic sense,” said a user.
“Bhai moments hai bhai, yaad rahenge jindgi bhar,” wrote another user.