A 20-year-old man from India’s Madhya Pradesh state has gone viral after taking on the task of cleaning a polluted section of the Ajnar River on his own, removing plastic, garbage and other waste that had accumulated over the years.
Surendra Singh Choudhry, known on social media as “Bittu Tabahi,” began the initiative in January with a group of friends who collected trash along the riverbank as part of Republic Day activities.
As the work became more difficult, his friends stopped participating, but Choudhry decided to continue alone. He said he initially wanted to build a machine to clean the river but could not afford it because he is a student.
“I’ll clean whatever I can with my own hands,” he said in an interview with The Indian Express. He also described the physical toll of the work, saying he developed an infection and the skin on his hands and feet began to peel.
Choudhry said he has also faced ridicule online and in his community, with some people calling him crazy or asking him to clean their drains.
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Despite the criticism, images showing the river before and after his efforts have circulated widely on social media. His Instagram account has surpassed 314,000 followers, bringing significant attention to his work.
The response has not been entirely positive. Some users have accused him of cleaning the river primarily to gain popularity online. In response, Choudhry recently shared a video documenting his work and said that cleaning each section took him more than three months.
“You can see that, besides making videos, I actually did some work,” he said.
