Journalism of Courage
‘They call me crazy’: Why this 20-year-old is cleaning a polluted river himself
Bittu responded to several users who accused him of taking up such initiatives to go viral without actually cleaning the river.
Despite the difficulties, the 20-year-old has continued his mission (Photo: @bittu_tabahi/Instagram)
A 20-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh is making waves after taking it upon himself to clean the heavily polluted Ajnar River.
Bittu, also known as Bittu Tabahi, has been removing plastic, discarded waste, and other trash from the rivers and public places as part of his efforts to tackle water pollution.
Instead of waiting for authorities or an organised clean-up drive, Bittu has been carrying out the work himself and spending his own money on the supplies needed for the clean-up.
In his recent video, Bittu responded to several users who accused him of taking such initiatives to go viral without actually cleaning the river. He shared details of how he carried out the clean-up drive, which took over three months per ghat.
“You can see that other than making videos, I did get some work done,” he said in the video.
He also highlighted an X post by Anand Mahindra that went viral earlier this year.
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‘They make fun of me’
However, the effort has come with health risks.
In an interview with indianexpress.com in April, Bittu said his hands were infected after repeatedly coming into contact with polluted water and waste.
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“I wanted to make a machine to clean the river, but I didn’t have the money. I am a student. So I thought, I will clean as much as I can with my own hands. I got infections. The skin on my hands and feet started coming off,” he said.
Despite the difficulties, he has continued his mission, returning to the river to remove garbage and prevent more plastic waste from accumulating in the water.
“They make fun of me, call me crazy. Some of them tell me to clean their drains. Some call me ‘naala saaf karne wala’,” Bittu said.
‘One day the nation will honor this boy’
The video has since gone viral, prompting reactions from several users, including celebrities. Actor Chitrangda Singh dropped a folded-hands emoji. “If we all decided to be like him what a beautiful country India would be!” wrote influencer Mukta Singh.
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“Bittu getting very less support but im sure that one day the nation will honor this boy,” a user commented.
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