- 07 September, 2026
Madhya Pradesh, September 7, 2026:For months, 21-year-old Surendra Singh Choudhary, popularly known as ‘Bittu Tabahi’, waded into a polluted river in Madhya Pradesh with little more than basic tools, determination and a desire to make a difference.
A science student from Biaora in Rajgarh district, Choudhary began cleaning the Ajnar River after repeatedly seeing plastic, bottles, algae, sludge and other rubbish choking its waters near a temple he regularly visited.
What began with a few friends eventually became largely a one-man effort. He continued returning to the river even after others stopped helping, removing tonnes of waste by hand.
Choudhary reportedly spent around Rs. 30,000 of his own money on the clean-up and installed dustbins near the river in an attempt to prevent further dumping.
His work was far from easy.
He reportedly did not know how to swim and had no professional safety equipment while entering the contaminated water. Prolonged exposure left him suffering from skin infections and peeling on his hands and feet. He also encountered snakes during the clean-up.
Yet the difficulties did not persuade him to stop.
Choudhary had initially dreamed of building a machine capable of cleaning the river but lacked the money to do so. Instead, he decided to do whatever he could with his own hands.
Photographs and videos showing the river before and after the clean-up began circulating online, bringing Choudhary attention well beyond Biaora.
Not everyone was convinced. Some accused him of carrying out the clean-up merely for social-media attention, while others questioned whether the dramatic transformation shown in photographs was genuine.
Choudhary responded to claims that artificial intelligence had been used to create the images by documenting his months of work and continuing to show the physical transformation.
His determination eventually won influential supporters. Industrialist Anand Mahindra shared his work online, describing Choudhary as a source of motivation. Former England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen also highlighted the story, calling his effort heroic and deserving of international recognition.
The clean-up has also exposed a much larger environmental problem. Removing rubbish from the river is only a temporary solution if waste and untreated water continue to enter it.
According to reports, several major drains discharge wastewater into the Biaora river, while the municipality has proposed a sewage treatment plant costing about Rs.14.77 crore.
Religious offerings, including flowers and other materials, are also sometimes placed in the river. Choudhary has collected some of these materials and turned them into compost.
His message is simple: cleaning the river matters, but preventing pollution at its source matters even more.
The story took an extraordinary international turn when Boyan Slat, founder and chief executive of Dutch environmental organisation The Ocean Cleanup, responded to a social-media post about Choudhary's work.
His message was remarkably brief: “Come work for us.”
The invitation transformed a local student's unpaid environmental campaign into an opportunity with global significance.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also met Choudhary and praised his efforts, with government support promised for the initiative.
Bittu Tabahi's story is ultimately about more than one river. It demonstrates how an ordinary young person can respond to an environmental crisis instead of simply waiting for someone else to act.
His work also offers a reminder that viral fame is most meaningful when it grows from genuine service.
The Ajnar River may still face serious challenges, but Choudhary has already changed something important: he has made people look at a forgotten river again.
And sometimes, one person's decision to step into dirty water can inspire an entire community — and even the world — to care.
Courtesy Times of India
Picture Courtesy : Surendra Singh Choudhry/Instagram
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