Young man’s Ajnar River mission wins him global job offer

Surendra Singh Choudhary, the 21-year-old Biaora (Rajgarh district) youth who has been cleaning the polluted Ajnar River largely on his own, has received a job offer from Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of Netherlands-based The Ocean Cleanup, following widespread attention to his efforts on social media.

Slat made the offer after an X user shared before-and-after photographs of Choudhary cleaning the river and highlighted his months-long campaign to remove waste from the heavily polluted water body. Responding to the post, Slat wrote: “Come work for us.”

The offer has generated considerable appreciation on social media, with users calling it a major opportunity for the young environmental campaigner. Choudhary, popularly known as ‘Bittu Tabahi’, is from Biaora in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district and has been regularly posting videos and photographs of his clean-up work.

Choudhary began his campaign on January 26 with a resolve to restore the Ajnar River to its earlier clean condition. A few friends initially joined him, but gradually stopped as the work proved difficult and physically demanding. Choudhary continued the effort on his own, spending hours in the river removing plastic waste, algae and other debris by hand.

The Ajnar River, which was once used for drinking water and irrigation, had become increasingly polluted over the years. Choudhary not only invested his time and effort but also spent money from his own pocket to hire a JCB machine to remove heavy waste from deeper sections of the river.

His campaign has attracted growing recognition in recent weeks. Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen also praised Choudhary’s initiative, saying change begins when an individual stops waiting for others and takes action. Businessman Anand Mahindra had earlier appreciated his work on social media, further drawing attention to the campaign.

The clean-up drive has also prompted a response from the local administration. Choudhary was invited and felicitated by the district administration, while a local MLA also invited him. The administration has since begun using JCB machines to remove accumulated waste from parts of the river.

Choudhary and his friend Krishna said they had been posting reels documenting the clean-up for the past two to three months. They said their parents, who do not use social media, were initially unaware of their activities and believed they were going out to play cricket.

The job offer has now given an international dimension to Choudhary’s grassroots campaign, bringing his efforts to restore the Ajnar River into the global spotlight.