Before Bittu Tabahi, actor Madhavan had praised an Andhra man's fight to clean an ancient stepwell. 300 volunteers came forward to help

If you have been following the trends lately, the name Bittu Tabahi might ring a bell. The 21-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh did the seemingly impossible: He took the initiative to clean the heavily polluted Ajnar River located in the Rajgarh district, all by himself. Bittu, whose real name is Surendra Singh Chaudhary, rose to overnight fame after he posted before-and-after pictures of the river, even earning a job offer from a Dutch NGO, The Ocean Cleanup. But before Bittu, there was another man, Abbayi Kanth, who led a similar successful campaign in Andhra Pradesh. His efforts were even praised by R Madhavan.

Historic well turns into a dumping ground

Abbayi Kanth, a social media influencer, visited a 500-year-old temple well in Andhra Pradesh’s Peapully Mandal. What he saw, he put out on the internet for others to witness and realise how heritage sites perish under negligence. The ancient structure had become a dumping ground choked with plastic waste, discarded food wrappers, coconut shells, turmeric sachets, leaf plates, and flower garlands from temple offerings, reported the Times of India.

When the condition of the historical site was shared online, the core message reached far and beyond. Within just a few days, more than 300 volunteers offered their help to clean the stepwell. The volunteers were a part of the Poorva Sampada Rakshaka Sena, an organization whose core activity is heritage protection.

Andhra man’s online post sparks change

People from all walks of life, including students and residents, joined hands with gloves, tools, sacks and other equipment, climbing into the stepwell and clearing out heaps of waste and debris that had accumulated over the years. Despite the lack of a formal campaign, people started associating themselves with the mission to be a part of change. Eventually, no trace of waste could be found in the stepwell, and the structure regained its original form.

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Keeping the stepwell clean required continued participation from the community. Organisers started working to educate both residents and visitors about proper waste disposal and the importance of protecting heritage sites, as per the Times of India. Awareness activities were also held locally, while new signs around the stepwell encouraged people to act responsibly and reinforced the idea that safeguarding the historic site is a collective responsibility.