Who is Bittu Tabahi? Meet the Indian student whose river cleanup brought a Dutch job offer
Dubai: Until a few months ago, Surendra Singh Chaudhary was a little-known BSc (bachelor of science) second-year student in Madhya Pradesh. Today, the 21-year-old better known as Bittu Tabahi has become a national talking point — after cleaning a polluted river largely by himself and attracting a job offer from an international environmental organisation. The student, better known online as Bittu…
Bittu Tabahi, originally known as Surendra Singh Chaudhary, is a 21-year-old BSc second-year student from Biaora, Madhya Pradesh. Before becoming a national figure, Bittu was a relatively unknown student in his hometown. However, his determination and efforts to clean the polluted Ajnar River transformed him into a topic of national discussion.
Bittu's cleanup journey began on January 26, India's Republic Day, after he became distressed by the river's condition. What started as a local initiative with a few friends soon evolved into a solo mission for Bittu. Despite the physical challenges and lack of swimming skills, he cleaned the river using basic equipment, removing tonnes of plastic, algae, sludge, and other waste. His savings funded the necessary cleaning tools and dustbins.
As Bittu's efforts garnered attention through videos and striking before-and-after images, he attracted praise from notable figures such as industrialist Anand Mahindra and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. His story eventually reached the Netherlands, where the founder of The Ocean Cleanup, Boyan Slat, saw his work and extended an offer for Bittu to join the organization.
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