Madhya Pradesh’s Bittu Tabahi cleans polluted Ajnar river alone, gets job offer from The Ocean Cleanup after Kevin Pietersen praise

Surendra Singh Choudhary, a 21-year-old student from Madhya Pradesh known online as ‘Bittu Tabahi’, has received a job offer from Netherlands-based environmental organisation The Ocean Cleanup after his solo effort to clean a polluted river drew international attention.

The development came after former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen praised Choudhary’s initiative as “heroic”, bringing global attention to the young environmental volunteer’s work in Biaora, Rajgarh district.

The job offer was extended by Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, following the attention generated by Choudhary’s cleanup campaign.


“I received a call from Slat this morning,” Bittu told TOI. “He was exceedingly pleased with my work, and he took down my credentials. I'm rather excited about it.”

Asked about the position he had been offered, Choudhary said, “That wasn't discussed. I'm told they'll get back to me soon.”

Choudhary began cleaning the Ajnar river in Biaora on January 26 after finding it heavily choked with plastic waste. He spent around Rs 30,000 of his own money on basic equipment and supplies and cleaned three major ghats along the river.

He entered the polluted water to remove plastic, algae and other debris despite not having gloves or proper footwear and being unable to swim. He documented the cleanup through before-and-after photographs, which subsequently went viral on social media.

His efforts soon attracted attention from industrialist Anand Mahindra, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and social media users.

The campaign received a further boost when Pietersen shared Choudhary’s story on Instagram and described his effort as “heroic”. The former cricketer also highlighted that the young man had entered the river barefoot and without protective equipment to clean it rather than waiting for authorities to act.

Pietersen said the effort deserved international recognition.

Slat subsequently responded to a social media post about Choudhary’s cleanup with a brief invitation: “Come work for us.”

The offer from The Ocean Cleanup marks a significant development for Choudhary, whose initiative began as an individual effort to tackle waste in a local river.

“My aim was never personal credit but to inspire others,” Bittu said.

With inputs from TOI