At just 20, Surendra Singh Choudhary, popularly known as Bittu Tabahi, is proving that one person can make a difference. Instead of waiting for an official clean-up drive, the Madhya Pradesh youth has taken it upon himself to restore the polluted Ajnar River in Biaora, Rajgarh.With plastic waste, garbage, algae and debris choking parts of the river, Bittu decided to step into the water and begin cleaning it himself.His efforts, carried out largely with his own money and basic tools, have now gone viral on social media, inspiring thousands of people and earning praise from industrialist Anand Mahindra.Who is Bittu Tabahi?Surendra Singh Choudhary, better known as Bittu Tabahi or simply Bittu, is a 20-year-old from Biaora in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district.The Ajnar River, which holds historical and local significance for the area, had become heavily polluted with plastic, garbage and other waste. Bittu, who considers the river holy, decided that simply complaining about its condition was not enough.Earlier this year, he began cleaning the river with a few friends. When they eventually stopped participating, Bittu continued the work alone.20-year-old cleans river with his own handsBittu’s clean-up effort is far from an easy task.He has been manually removing plastic waste, algae and accumulated debris from the river, using his hands and basic tools. He has also spent his own money on cleaning supplies.According to Bittu, cleaning a single ghat took around 2.5 to three months.The work has meant repeatedly entering polluted water and spending long hours removing waste. He has also spoken about facing health problems after prolonged exposure to the polluted river.Yet, the difficulties have not stopped him.‘People said I was doing it for views’As Bittu’s videos began attracting attention, not everyone believed his efforts were genuine.Some social media users accused him of staging the clean-up simply to gain views. Others even claimed that his videos were AI-generated.Instead of giving up, Bittu responded by documenting his work step by step, sharing footage showing the cleaning process and the transformation of the riverfront.His videos eventually began reaching a much wider audience.Bittu has now amassed more than three lakh followers on social media, where he continues to document his efforts to clean polluted public spaces and water bodies.Anand Mahindra calls Bittu his ‘Monday Motivation’Bittu’s efforts also caught the attention of industrialist Anand Mahindra, who praised the young man’s determination.Sharing Bittu’s work, Mahindra wrote:“This young man from Biaora, MP, was criticised for claiming to have cleaned parts of a river just in order to gain social media views.”He added: “We usually complain that social media rewards the trivial rather than the meaningful. So if a desire for ‘likes’ can become a force for good that’s fine with me…”Mahindra concluded by calling “Bittu Tabahi from Biaora” his “#MondayMotivation.”One young man, one river and a bigger messageBittu’s story is not simply about cleaning a river. It is about taking responsibility for the spaces around us.At an age when many young people are still figuring out their path, Bittu chose to spend months cleaning a polluted water body despite criticism, difficult working conditions and health challenges.His journey also highlights how social media can be used not just for entertainment, but to document meaningful work and encourage others to participate in environmental causes.Whether one person can completely restore a polluted river is a much bigger challenge. But Bittu’s efforts show that waiting for someone else to act is not always the only option.At 20, he started with his own hands.And his message is simple, if one young person can take the first step, perhaps more of us can too.