From cleaning a polluted river alone to a job offer: Who is Madhya Pradesh's viral 'Bittu Tabahi'?

A young man's determined effort to clean a heavily polluted river in Madhya Pradesh has taken him from social media fame to an unexpected international opportunity.

Surendra Singh Chaudhary, better known online as 'Bittu Tabahi', went viral after videos showed him transforming a garbage-filled stretch of the Ajnar River in Rajgarh district. Now, his months-long cleanup effort has caught the attention of Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of Netherlands-based environmental organisation The Ocean Cleanup, who offered him an opportunity to work with the organisation.

But behind the viral before-and-after pictures is a gruelling story of a college student who spent months pulling waste out of the river, often alone, and suffered infections and other health problems in the process.

Who is Bittu Tabahi?

Bittu Tabahi is a student and environmental volunteer from Biaora in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district. The 21-year-old, who comes from a humble family and lives with his parents, is currently a second-year student.

His journey began after he was disturbed by the condition of the Ajnar River near a local temple. The river was clogged with plastic waste, algae, sludge and other debris, while a foul odour had made the area unpleasant.

Instead of waiting for official intervention, Bittu decided to take matters into his own hands. He launched his cleanup campaign on January 26, 2026, coinciding with Republic Day.

He initially began the effort with a few friends, but the campaign gradually turned into what was largely a one-man mission.

Bittu's river-cleaning efforts had begun drawing attention even before his recent viral moment.

On March 30, industrialist Anand Mahindra shared one of Bittu's river-cleaning reels and addressed criticism that the young man was carrying out the work merely to gain social media views.

"This young man from Biaora, M.P, was criticised for claiming to have cleaned parts of a river just in order to gain social media views," Mahindra wrote.

Pointing out that social media is often criticised for rewarding trivial content over meaningful work, Mahindra added that if the desire for likes could be turned into "a force for good", he had no problem with it.

Infections, itching and snakes: The toll of cleaning the river

Armed with basic tools, Bittu spent months manually removing garbage from the polluted river. He carried out the work without proper safety gear despite not knowing how to swim.

The cleanup came at a personal cost.

Bittu used his own savings to buy cleaning supplies and suffered several health issues while working in the polluted water. He experienced infections in his limbs and persistent skin itching. His work also brought him face-to-face with snakes in and around the river.

Despite the physical toll, he continued the cleanup, removing tonnes of waste and gradually transforming the stretch of the Ajnar River.

Videos and photographs documenting the transformation eventually began circulating widely online, earning the young student praise for taking on the task largely on his own.

Dutch environmental NGO founder says: 'Come work for us'

Bittu's work soon caught the attention of Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of Netherlands-based environmental organisation The Ocean Cleanup.

Slat came across a post on X featuring the young Indian's cleanup mission. The post highlighted how he had spent months independently cleaning the polluted river and included before-and-after images of the transformation.

Impressed by the effort, Slat responded with a brief but significant message: "Come work for us."

The offer marked an unexpected international recognition for a cleanup campaign that began with one student's decision to act after seeing the condition of a river near his home.

Madhya Pradesh CM meets Bittu Tabahi

Recognition has also come from closer home.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav invited Bittu to the CM House, where the two met on Friday night. Yadav praised the young man's initiative and assured him of the government's support.

What began as a largely solo effort to clear a garbage-choked river has now brought Bittu recognition from business leaders, environmentalists and the state's Chief Minister.