Who is Bittu Tabahi? A 20-year-old cleaning a garbage-clogged river was offered a job by a Dutch NGO: “Come and work with us” | Today’s news
A 20-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh, who gained widespread attention for cleaning up the heavily polluted Ajnar River, received a job offer from Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of the Dutch environmental organization The Ocean Cleanup.
Surendra Singh Choudhary, popularly known as Bittu Tabahi, worked independently to clean the river of plastic waste, algae and other accumulated waste. Videos of his efforts made the rounds on social media, drawing attention to his work.
Slat responded to a post on X highlighting Choudhary’s efforts. The post described him as a “20-year-old Indian” who spent months cleaning up the polluted river by himself and included before-and-after photos of the waterway.
Read also | India rubbishes reports of deliberate release of river waters that caused Pak flood
Slat responded to the post with a short offer: “Come work for us.”
Social media users call it the “opportunity of a lifetime.”
The response from the founder of Ocean Cleanup quickly attracted reactions from other X users, with several praising the opportunity offered to the young environmentalist.
One user wrote: “Wow, that’s huge for the guy. I hope you’re serious! Go get him.”
Another commented: “Holy opportunity of a lifetime, I’m so lucky and so jealous.”
A third person wrote: “Just the person I was hoping to make an offer to.”
Another user simply commented: “That’s your man.”
Who is Bittu Tabahi?
Choudhary hails from Biaora in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. He documented his cleanup efforts through videos posted on Instagram, showing him removing plastic, algae and other debris from the Ajnar River.
Read also | Varanasi has banned boat services across the ghats as the raging Ganga nears the danger mark
He reportedly started the initiative in January this year and has since transformed stretches of the river by clearing it of accumulated garbage. Digital content creator KR Talks claimed that Choudhary spent around ₹30,000 for cleaning.
Anand Mahindra had earlier praised his efforts
Choudhary’s work also caught the attention of industrialist Anand Mahindra earlier this year.
In March, Mahindra shared a post praising the youth’s efforts after some people attacked him for cleaning the river to gain social media attention.
“This young man from Biaora, MP has been criticized for claiming to have cleaned parts of a river just to get views on social media. We usually complain that social media rewards the trivial rather than the meaningful. So if the desire for ‘likes’ can become a force for good, I don’t mind. Bittu Tabahi from Biaora is my #MondayMotivation.”
What is The Ocean Cleanup?
According to The Ocean Cleanup’s official website, Boyan Slat, born July 27, 1994, is a Dutch inventor and entrepreneur who focuses on developing large-scale projects to solve environmental problems.
The organization develops technologies aimed at removing plastic from oceans and rivers. Its stated goal is to remove 90% of floating ocean plastics by 2040, with the long-term goal of making its own work unnecessary.