Screengrab from viral video
Credit: X/@Ananth_IRAS
Indian Railways seldom fails to amaze the internet. Social media is flush with videos of trains passing through the beautiful landscapes in the country. Clips of content creators dancing in the ever-shrinking wagons have divided the internet and so has the decision of the Centre to place the prime minister's cardboard cut-outs on stations as 'Selfie Points'. The Indian Railways is never out of the news and the most recent clip causing waves on the internet is another addition to the bizarre videos that keep coming out.
In this video, a stray dog takes centre stage in an unusual tale of train travel. A dog can be seen in the video checking the footboards of a train passing by the platform. As the locomotive races forward, the canine companion sprints alongside, seemingly on a mission to communicate with perilously footboard-bound passengers to scoot inside.
In a video shared by the IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi on X, the dog's motive appears unclear at first, but it slowly becomes apparent.
The dog lets the wagons where no passengers are on footboard pass, but rushes forward at the wagons where people are sitting on the footboard. The dog even barks at some.
Rupanagudi aptly captioned the footage as “The best assistance rendered in a drive against footboard travelling,” shedding light on the perilous habit that commuters frequently indulge in. He also puts the #SafetyFirst hashtag to highlight the grave risks associated with this often dangerous commuting practice.
X users were left amazed by the antics of the dog and some even demanded that the canine should be hired by the Railways to push people inside the train. Some showed care for the dog and wanted it to be adopted as life at the railway station can be dangerous. However some saw it differently and wanted the dog to be removed from the platform, arguing that some passengers might panic and fall off the train.