Gurugram, Aug 13: A Serbian national living in Gurugram has drawn widespread attention — and sparked introspection — after videos of him cleaning city streets began circulating on social media.
Lazar Jankovic, 32, who lives in Sector 55, has launched a mission he calls “Ek Din, Ek Gully” (One Day, One Street), aiming to clean at least one street, park, or public area in the Millennium City every day. The initiative, started four days ago, is part of what he calls his “journey to clean India” and builds on his participation in clean-up movements across the country.
Jankovic posts videos of his work daily, which have attracted both praise and pledges of support from residents. His solo effort is now turning into a community movement, with locals joining him on the ground. He plans to continue the drive until Independence Day.
In one clip shared by Instagram account ‘4cleanindia’, Jankovic is seen picking up garbage from outside what appears to be a residential building. “As long as it’s outside my house, it’s not my problem,” he says, before clearing the month-old trash in under a minute. The accompanying caption reads: “This is an attitude of most people in India… Stop pointing fingers and talking about who is to blame, but take action and you will see the difference.”
While Gurugram has made notable progress in cleanliness — improving its Swachh Survekshan ranking from 140th to 41st in 2024-25 — the city continues to grapple with poor waste segregation at source, despite a high waste processing rate. Piles of unsegregated garbage remain visible in several areas.
Many netizens hailed Jankovic’s spirit, with some pledging to clean their surroundings, while others said it was telling that a “foreigner” was setting an example for the city.
