Now, it’s a very common scene: A man driving in a car, slows the vehicle, pulls down the windows and bam, throws a handful of orange peels in the middle of the road. But what happens next is not quite common: local authorities stop the car, ask the man to step out of his vehicle, and instruct him to pick up each and every piece of peel. And the litter-maker obliged. The incident is from Sikkim, the beautiful capital of Gangtok in the Northeastern region of India. And Sikkim also happens to be one of the cleanest cities in the country where people know the meaning of “Civic Sense”. But the recent act of discarding orange peels became a remarkable example of public introspection. It’s a short video clip which shows a tourist in Sikkim throwing orange peels out of his car window. The video just didn’t go viral, it struck a chord with millions across India. And in no time, became a topic of Civic Sense and responsible behaviour. The video has been widely circulated across social media platforms. There is a woman (apparently who made the clip), narrating the act. No chaos. No fight. Just a man correcting his mistake. It is a reminder that every individual action, however small it might be, leaves an impression on the shared spaces we inhabit.Swift actionAlso, people have widely appreciated the on-the-spot enforcement. People praised the “zero-tolerance approach” and public cleanliness. The comments also noted how refreshing it was to see people taking accountability (enforced without drama). “Please do this all over India!!” one user wrote. For Sikkim, which is a state that prides on keeping its landscape clean. It’s a collective effort where every resident plays a role. The hills of Sikkim are biodiversity rich like nowhere. The state has closely knit communities, which have clean public spaces in India. For some long-term residents and travellers, this respect for the environment is seen as part of the local ethos — one that many believe should be more widely embraced across the country.But the episode also raised deeper questions: Why such behaviour in the first place?Why the intervention needed to make someone clean up their own mess, such a basic sense? Why does such a common-sense behaviour feel out of the ordinary in many parts of India? And why, for that matter, does a place need vigilance? Why are people still so ignorant of basic civic sense?Many comments also mentioned that India has made cleanliness a national priority through campaigns like Swachh Bharat. Others also noted that citizens work daily to keep their space clean. Accountability should come from within and should not be enforced. But some people don’t understand this, and that’s why enforcement becomes the only step. Some reactions went further, questioning regional perceptions and stereotypes. In the original online posts about the video, certain users referenced the man as being from “North India,” now another topic of debate. Fair or not, such comments reveal the frustration around littering.Nestled in the eastern Himalayas, Sikkim is often cited as one of India’s cleanest and most environmentally conscious states. Cleanliness here is not treated as a campaign but as a way of life. From mountain highways and village paths to markets and monasteries, public spaces reflect a deep respect for nature and community living.Sikkim, the first fully organic state of India
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Sikkim was the first Indian state to become fully organic. It continuously works on disciplined cleanliness. Regular cleanliness drives are conducted in the state by local bodies, who focus on roadside waste and tourist spots, among others. There are strict anti-littering rules, combined with public awareness programs.The state’s civic participation is simply commendable where citizens actively cooperate with authorities. At its heart, this is more than a story about orange peels and the authorities. The story is about how a community chooses to define itself. Keeping our public spaces clean is a collective effort and doesn’t happen by chance. They are the product of discipline, awareness, and yes, when necessary, consistent some strict rules and regulations.