TBH, I am a staunch advocate for using social media to spread social awareness messages, albeit you make it quirky enough. For the most part, people browse social media for fun, and they don’t want their news feed to be bombarded by serious, preachy messages from government bodies.
But there are some government authorities who’re leveraging their social media presence remarkably well, hashtags et al, to share important information in a way that’s bound to attracts public attention!
Our Hon. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has been sharing a series of tweets about rail safety using #RailwayKeZharokheSe. But these aren’t just boring safety dos and don’ts. They’ve been sprinkled with some heavy Bollywood tadka!
दुर्घटना से देर भली… चलती ट्रेन में कभी ना चढ़ें। #RailwayKeZharokheSe pic.twitter.com/hA5OFmBa6f
— Piyush Goyal Office (@PiyushGoyalOffc) January 16, 2018
Because if Simran has to ‘Jee le apni zindagi’ then she has to be alive first. And running to catch the train is pretty dangerous.
So by that math, this is so awesome, no?
Well, like I said, this is a series. And they’ve pretty much nailed their Bollywood references with the others too!
In India, Bollywood can sell anything. And this is a lesson well learnt and implemented by Indian railways, if I say so!
1. One man’s railways is NOT another man’s open-air toilet!
पटरियां रेल के लिये हैं, शौच के लिये नही… पटरियों पर ऐसा करना गंदगी और बीमारी दोनो को आमंत्रण देना है।#RailwayKeZharokheSe pic.twitter.com/NZ60z0GcLs
— Piyush Goyal Office (@PiyushGoyalOffc) January 16, 2018
2. Indian Railways seem to be major DDLJ fans! But this one is giving out some major K3G vibes too, what with all the love for family reunions!
हर उत्सव में आपको आपके परिवार तक पहुंचा कर खुशियों को कई गुना बढ़ाने वाली भारतीय रेल। #RailwayKeZharokheSe pic.twitter.com/zc3H2dTa8u
— Piyush Goyal Office (@PiyushGoyalOffc) January 17, 2018
Of course, people are toh loving it!
1. And that’s how you get their attention!
New awareness drive from Indian Railways 🙂#RailwayKeZharokheSe
— Deepanshu Natani (@DeepanshuNatani) January 16, 2018
2. Kaafi umda khele aap!
@PiyushGoyal @PiyushGoyalOffc hahahha nyc 1 sir 🙂#RailwayKeZharokheSe https://t.co/wjbVxVoWUM
— Prathmesh Thaker (@PrathmeshThaker) January 17, 2018
3. Indeed!
https://twitter.com/nandini_idnani/status/953510178472644609
4. Conditions apply!
#RailwayKeZharokheSe एक शानदार पहल, लेकिन ट्रेने अगर समय से चले तो सोने पे सुहागा हो!!!..
— Shashi Kant Mishra (@SKMishravns) January 17, 2018
5. Some inspired folk even came up with their own slogans!
https://twitter.com/Narendramodi_G/status/953480368975474688
Jokes aside, this looks like a fun way to spread awareness about safety measures without all the drab and grave undertones, don’t you agree?
In related news under ‘Who’s been killin’ it on social media’, can we also applaud Mumbai Police for teaching us about traffic discipline via—of all things—A CAT VIDEO?
No no, you read it right. The person handling Mumbai Police’s Twitter account is some kind of genius to pull off this hack! Please watch this kitty being such a good boy/girl by crossing the road safely, using zebra crossing and everything!
Need we say more? #TrafficDiscipline pic.twitter.com/TupYEIhXV2
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 12, 2018
But then, Mumbai Police’s social media game has been pro-level for quite some time now. And these guys know their pop culture references quite well! Remember when they used F.R.I.E.N.D.S references to get quirky with their PSAs? Or when they were unapologetically filmy with their tweets? And how can we ever forget their savage AF reprimanding of Varun Dhawan when he was taking selfies on the road with a fan?
I, for one, am totally for this quirk factor which makes even serious social awareness announcements enjoyable! I mean, if you are on ‘social’ media, why not embrace is completely and have some fun while you’re at it, no? And it’s awesome to see more and more government authorities embrace this so well!
Take a bow, you guys!
