Every Sunday morning, as the city slows down for the weekend, Pankaj Kumar and his team head to the banks of the Yamuna River at Kalindi Kunj Ghat in Delhi. Gloves on, driven by quiet resolve, they begin their weekly ritual — removing heaps of waste, plastic, and debris from one of India’s most polluted rivers.

But for them, this isn’t just about cleaning up garbage — it’s about reviving a dying river.

A former corporate professional, Pankaj made a bold choice: he quit his job to dedicate himself full-time to cleaning India’s rivers. He founded ‘Earth Warriors’, a volunteer-driven initiative that not only leads clean-up drives but also investigates the systems responsible for river pollution.