Who is 'Bittu Tabahi’? MP boy who went viral for cleaning polluted river and got job offer from Netherlands

A 20-year-old BSc student from Madhya Pradesh, Surendra Singh Choudhary, popularly known as ‘Bittu Tabahi’, has drawn attention for taking on the task of cleaning the polluted Ajnar River in Biaora on his own and succeeding. His efforts have now reached audiences outside India after a Netherlands-based organisation gave him an offer to work with them.

Choudhary first came into the spotlight after posting before-and-after images and videos of the river online. He started the cleanup on January 26, Republic Day, and worked by himself until the local municipal corporation noticed his efforts and stepped in to help.

Who is Bittu Tabahi?

Choudhary hails from Biaora in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district.

He has been recording his cleanup work and sharing it through multiple Instagram videos. The footage shows him clearing plastic, algae, and other waste that had built up in the river, often without assistance.

He is said to have started the drive in January and has since cleaned and improved several parts of the river. Digital content creator KR Talks said Choudhary has spent about ₹30,000 on the effort so far, HT reported earlier.

Choudhary had initially considered building a machine to remove the waste, but did not have enough money.

"Then, when January 26 arrived, I thought it was a good day to do something meaningful... Since then, I haven't stopped and have kept at it continuously," he told news agency ANI, adding, "I started alone; they (municipal corporation) saw what I was doing and then offered their support."

The Biaora municipal corporation later joined the effort, using JCB and Poclain machines to remove large amounts of waste and polythene from the river.

Through his Instagram posts, Choudhary has also spoken about those who questioned whether one person could make a difference. He now says the work he has done shows what can be achieved when an individual decides to take action.

Job offer for ‘Bittu Tabahi’ from Netherlands

His river-cleaning campaign has also caught the attention of people abroad. Boyan Slat, the founder and CEO of Netherlands-based non-profit The Ocean Cleanup, offered Choudhary a job after seeing a post about his work.

An X user posted before-and-after images of the river and wrote, “A 20-year-old Indian man, Surendra Singh Choudhry, known as ‘Bittu Tabahi,’ has been cleaning the heavily polluted Ajnar River himself for months.”

Slat responded to the post with a short message: “Come work for us.”