Serbian model on mission to clean India finds BMW dumped among trash: 'Indians are one of...'

Lazar Jankovic told Moneycontrol that he found the BMW discarded at a dumpsite in Amritsar. (Image credit: Lazar Jankovic)

Fed up with trash littered everywhere across the country, a Serbian model who has been living in India and learning yoga since 2018 has taken up the challenge to not only clean up garbage but also to motivate Indians to dispose of trash responsibly.

Lazar Jankovic, 32, lived in Bengaluru for six years before moving to Delhi. Together with local NGOs, he has led clean-up drives across different cities, including Delhi, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Amritsar, and Faridabad, while educating residents to keep their neighbourhoods clean and dispose of waste responsibly. Recently, much to his surprise, Jankovic even found a BMW discarded in a dumpsite in Amritsar. The Serbian has also been sharing videos of his work on social media to spread awareness, and many of them receive lakhs of views.

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'Beautiful country, but with garbage all over'
Speaking to Moneycontrol, the aspiring yoga instructor and patron for clean India said that seeing public areas littered with rubbish bothered him from the first day he set foot in the country. "This is such a beautiful country with such a beautiful culture, but there is garbage all over and everybody is pretending that it's not theirs and it's not their issue, so I decided to make a change."

In one of the videos that went viral, Jankovic is seen collecting garbage lying outside a home for months. "As long as it's outside my home, it's not my problem, right? It took around 15 seconds to get this done," he said, bagging the trash. In another video, a woman is seen throwing an empty water bottle in an area that Jankovic and his team were cleaning up, highlighting a lack of accountability and civic sense among Indians.

'Most people stop and correct themselves when held accountable'

Meanwhile, local residents and NGOs have been supportive of Jankovic's work. "I'm just trying to show people that everyone is interested in this (clearing trash from their areas) and so many people are doing a great job at it," he said.

When asked if he has personally stopped anyone in India from littering, Jankovic replied: "So many! There were a few instances when people told me that they don't really care and walked away, even after being questioned, but mostly people stop and correct themselves."

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'Littering is like a muscle reflex'

Jankovic believes that one of the main reasons India has a littering problem is that for most people, it's a muscle reflex. "Everybody is doing it because they think 'Yeah... chalta hain.' But the 'chalta hain' attitude is something we need to change. Indian people are one of the cleanest people on the planet. It's just that the cleanliness needs to happen outside their homes as well."

To conclude, Jankovic believes Indians need to take up individual responsibility. While speaking to Moneycontrol, he said in flawless Hindi: "Sabhi ko apne ghar ya dukaan k saamne do metre ki doori tak saaf rakhna hain (Everyone should ensure that at least two-metre area around their homes and businesses is clean.)"

Online users laud effort
On social media, most users praised Jankovic for attempting to change people's mindset about trash. "A man from Siberia is cleaning our streets, showing us that caring for our surroundings knows no borders. If one person can take this step, imagine what we all could achieve together. Let’s be inspired and take responsibility for the cleanliness of our own neighbourhoods. Small actions can create big change," said one user on Instagram. "Learn Indian citizens, please learn," commented another.