Actor R Madhavan left amazed by 30 Manipuri students who removed 600 kg of waste from Dehradun. Who is the 21-year-old changemaker?

R Madhavan's professional journey continues to reach new heights. The actor was recently honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to Indian cinema spanning over 25 years. Known for successfully reinventing himself with mature and challenging roles, Madhavan is now preparing for the release of his upcoming biographical drama G.D.N.. Away from films, he remains highly active on social media, often sharing inspiring stories. His latest post is one such example, showing the efforts of a young student from Manipur whose simple idea has grown into a movement inspiring thousands.

The story that impressed Madhavan

The video shared by Madhavan, originally reported by The Better India, spotlighted the work of 21-year-old Cheenglai Lapka Chongtham and a group of Manipuri students studying in Dehradun.

The video begins by drawing a comparison with Japanese football fans, who became famous worldwide for cleaning stadiums after World Cup matches. Their actions were often described as a reflection of their culture and sense of responsibility.




Showing the same spirit, the students have collectively removed more than 600 kilograms of waste from different parts of Dehradun, proving that civic responsibility is not limited by geography.

Who is Cheenglai Lapka Chongtham?

Cheenglai Lapka Chongtham is a 21-year-old student from Manipur who found himself disturbed by the growing amount of litter around his college campus in Dehradun. He founded the organisation, For Better Kangleipak. It is a group of young volunteers working together to keep Manipur clean, green and sustainable.

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A post shared by For better Kangleipak (@for. better. kangleipak)

While many people ignored the problem, Cheenglai decided to do something about it. Growing up in Manipur, he had witnessed communities coming together to protect their surroundings and preserve nature. Inspired by those experiences, he believed the same approach could work elsewhere too.

His plan was remarkably simple. Instead of launching a large campaign or waiting for outside help, he reached out to fellow students with a straightforward message: "Let's clean it."

The response surprised him.

How 30 students started a movement

Cheenglai's appeal was answered by 30 fellow Manipuri students. There was no funding, sponsorship, organisation or elaborate planning behind the effort. The volunteers simply wanted to make their surroundings cleaner.

Their first clean-up drive took place in Sudhowala, an area in Dehradun. Encouraged by the results, the group returned a month later for another drive at a nearby nature site.

During the second campaign, they removed nearly 400 kilograms of waste. Together, the volunteers collected plastic bottles, wrappers and other garbage that had accumulated in the area.

However, their efforts were not always met with encouragement.

As per the report, some people questioned why the students were spending their time cleaning a city that was not even their hometown. But the group continued their work, believing that responsibility does not end at state borders.

From one person to thousands

What makes Cheenglai's story even more remarkable?

According to information shared in the video, what started with one student's concern and a group of 30 volunteers has now expanded into a movement involving more than 2,000 young people.

The message behind the campaign is simple but powerful: a city becomes yours not because you were born there, but because you choose to care for it.

The idea also bring us to Cheenglai's own journey. In a social media post, shared by him, he opened up about how his environmental efforts began six years ago when he was cleaning rivers on his own with little more than a camera. Today, that solitary effort has evolved into a community-driven movement focused on keeping public spaces clean and encouraging environmental responsibility.

For Madhavan, the story was clearly worth sharing. Meanwhile, on the work front, Madhavan will play the titular role of visionary industrialist and inventor G.D. Naidu, often called the "Edison of India". Co-produced by his banner, Tricolour Films, the multilingual biographical drama is officially scheduled for a theatrical release on July 17. Stay tuned!