‘Come work with us’: After solo river clean-up, MP’s Bittu Tabahi gets invite from Dutch CEO

Surendra Singh Choudhry, known online as Bittu Tabahi, in Madhya Pradesh, who spent months cleaning a heavily-polluted river largely on his own, has caught the attention of Dutch environmentalist and entrepreneur Boyan Slat, who has invited him to work with his organisation, The Ocean Cleanup.

Surendra, 20, has been removing plastic, discarded waste, and other rubbish from the Ajnar River in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district. What began as an individual effort was carried out without the backing of an official campaign, environmental group, or large team.

The BSc student from Biaora began cleaning the Ajnar River on January 26, Republic Day, after repeatedly being disturbed by the state of the water whenever he passed the river or visited a nearby temple.

Initially, a few friends joined him. But as their participation dwindled, Bittu continued largely on his own, repeatedly entering the polluted water to remove plastic, bottles, algae, and other waste.

No funding, but a personal investment

The effort was initially unknown even to his family. They learned about it only after industrialist Anand Mahindra shared Bittu’s work on X, bringing the young student wider attention.

His family later expressed concern about him entering the polluted river alone, warning that it could affect his health. Those fears were not unfounded.

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Bittu developed an infection in his foot and said the skin on his hands and feet had begun peeling after prolonged exposure to the contaminated water. He began the work without proper protective equipment and reportedly did not know how to swim when he first entered the river.

Bittu and his friends spent around Rs 30,000 on basic equipment and dustbins. He says the dustbins placed around the river were installed using his own money, to try to prevent further pollution.

From ridicule to recognition

Bittu says local people initially mocked him, called him “crazy” and even asked him to clean their drains.

But his before-and-after videos on Instagram gradually went viral, showcasing the transformation of parts of the river. The first image showed the river and its surroundings littered with waste, while the second showed a visibly cleaner stretch.

Also Read: Why Delhi’s Yamuna remains filthy despite ₹7,000 crore spent on cleanup

Anand Mahindra described Bittu as his “Monday Motivation” and highlighted his determination to physically clean the polluted waterway.

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen also praised him, calling his work “heroic” and saying it deserved international recognition.

‘Come work with us’

The post on X caught the attention of Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, an organisation that develops technology to remove plastic pollution from oceans and rivers.

Slat responded to the post on X with a brief but significant invitation: “Come work with us.”

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The response has opened a new possibility for Surendra, whose personal effort to restore a polluted river has now brought him into the orbit of a globally-recognised organisation working to tackle plastic pollution on a much larger scale.