‘What A Banger': UK Tourist Falls In Love With India's Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan Song

News18

30-04-2025

Last Updated:
Deanna Leigh showed a garbage truck playing the song as it went around collecting trash in the neighbourhood.
'Swachh Bharat ka irada, irada kar liya humne…" — for most Indians, this tune signals the arrival of the garbage truck. But for a British traveller, it's become an unexpected earworm. Deanna Leigh, a 23-year-old travel vlogger from the UK, recently shared a hilarious and wholesome video on Instagram, revealing how she accidentally fell in love with India's trash collection jingle. 'I heard it all the time in Jodhpur. I thought it was just a fun song people sang every morning," she admitted in the now-viral clip.
Unaware of its actual purpose, Deanna had no idea that the catchy tune blaring from loudspeakers was a call to take out the trash. 'I didn't know. I just thought it was a cheerful morning tune," she said, laughing. A man off-camera then clarified, 'It's a trash song. No offense."
In her caption, Deanna gushed, 'My new favourite song in India! At one point, this was all I would hear in the mornings. I had no clue what it meant… but damn, what a banger!"
She shared that she first heard the song in Rajasthan and Agra, where it's commonly used by municipal garbage vans. 'Each city has its tune, but this one was my favourite," she wrote.
Now, Deanna has one simple wish — to take the musical trash announcement system back to the UK. 'Can we use this back home? I think it might make bin days 10 better," she joked.
In the video, a garbage truck can be seen rolling down the street, playing the catchy tune — leaving Deanna both amused and enchanted.
Deanna's video became a viral sensation as it accumulated over nine lakh views. Desis took over the comment section and shared their thoughts on the catchy tune.
One user commented, 'Proof that everything is more fun in India."
Another explained, 'It translates to – we intend to clean India, promise we make to our nation. It is a jingle specially made for the Clean India Campaign."
Someone pointed out, 'There is vibe in that song," while a person jokingly wrote, 'It's also called wake-up alarm for most of the people."
An individual called it 'an emotion" and a viewer added, 'It's melodious actually. And the voice of kids singing makes it endearing."
The song Swachh Bharat Ka Irada was written by National Award-winning lyricist Prasoon Joshi and sung by Kailash Kher. It was created as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission campaign launched by the government in 2014. Apart from collecting garbage, the municipal vans that play this song spread awareness about cleanliness and hygiene.