Industrialist Anand Mahindra has praised the collective effort behind the clean-up of the Ajnar River in Madhya Pradesh, while also highlighting the work of 21-year-old Surendra Singh Choudhary, popularly known as Bittu Tabahi.
His initiative later inspired wider participation, with local residents and other stakeholders joining efforts to clean the water body. “I’ve often applauded young people like Bittu Tabahi who simply decided they’d had enough of seeing our water bodies neglected, rolled up their sleeves and got to work. I hope more and more people follow their example. But this story caught my attention for a slightly different reason. This wasn’t about one individual. It was about a whole community coming together. Local citizens, civic authorities, NGOs and other stakeholders, all pitching in to bring a river back to life. There’s something very powerful about that. Sharing a video of his interaction with Choudhary on X, Yadav wrote in Hindi, which translates to English as: “Had a warm interaction at my Bhopal residence with Surendra Singh Choudhary, popularly known as ‘Bittu Tabahi’, a son of Biaora. Through his determination and strong resolve, Bittu has not only cleaned the Ajnar River but has also sent a powerful message to society that meaningful change does not always require a large crowd; sometimes, one sincere initiative is enough to make a difference.
Because it had grown beyond the efforts of one individual and turned into a community-driven initiative, taking to X, Mahindra said the story stood out to him.
When we stop asking “Who is going to fix this?” and start asking “How can WE fix this?”, things begin to change. In an earlier conversation with HT.com, Choudhary said he had begun noticing a change in people’s behaviour after his videos gained attention.
Choudhary had earlier drawn widespread attention on social media after videos showed him stepping into the trash-filled river and removing waste himself. So today, it’s not an individual but an entire set of stakeholders forming a community that provides my #MondayMotivation.
His initiative went viral and earned praise from several people, including Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
