Ankit Baiyanpuria, a well-known fitness figure and former wrestler from Bayanpur, Sonipat in Haryana, participated in the ‘Shramdaan for cleanliness’ as part of the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign on October 1. In addition to posting the video on social media, the prime minister added the following caption: “Beyond just cleanliness, we blended fitness and well-being also into the mix.” In the video, they are shown utilizing brooms to clean up after themselves, pick up trash, and talk about their daily schedules.
The social media sensation responded, “It’s our responsibility to keep our nature clean,” as the man could be heard questioning how the cleanliness drive would help him stay in shape. We’ll stay in shape if it stays clean. He added that the people of Sonipat have started to prioritise cleanliness. He also responded to the post with his famous greeting and thanked the leader.
The 30-year-old expressed his joy at meeting the prime minister. “I felt great after meeting him. I wanted to meet him for a long time. A few days back I messaged the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) that I wanted to meet PM Modi. They called me back. At first, I wasn’t able to believe it. This morning I met him and for 30 to 40 minutes we performed ‘Shramdaan’ together. He asked me about my workout and diet.”
Other BJP leaders, including Union ministers, launched cleaning programs across the nation in addition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry reports that the important initiative was implemented at more than 9.20 lakh sites across the nation.
Ankit Baiyanpuria rose to prominence by redefining personal development with his “75 Day Hard Challenge” and by promoting conventional and native training techniques. His remarkable training practices and innovative routines, which incorporate mental well-being through venerated Hindu books like the “Shrimad Bhagavad Gita,” not only promote physical health but also pushed him into the spotlight on social media a few months ago. His workout consists of rope climbing, sprinting, and desi wrestling burpees, and he practices in his village with his coach, Krishan Pahalwan.
He was raised by laborers and had to take on numerous odd jobs to support his family, including delivery boy for Zomato. Due to the custom in the area, he started wrestling and competed professionally for a while. In 2022, a dislocated shoulder during mud wrestling forced him to modify his plans.
The social media sensation began documenting his fitness advancement on Instagram and discovered the “75 Day Hard Challenge” while doing fitness research. American entrepreneur and author Andy Frisella came up with it in the year 2020 was one of a handful of people who were able to accomplish the challenge after dedicating himself to the task for a complete 75 days and attracted massive traction online. The challenge requires regular readings, a strict diet, progress selfies, no junk food and outdoor exercise.
Interestingly, he continued the same routine even after 75 days and is already nearing 100 days. His rapid rise to fame was evidenced by the fact that he amassed more than 2.5 million followers in just 28 days and presently the number is at 5 million on his Instagram account.
He exclaimed, “Even I am shocked at gaining 2.7 million followers in less than a month. I’m so grateful. The only message I would like to give to my followers is to not only look for physical strength because mental strength is much more and it only comes through spirituality. So read ‘Bhagwad Gita’ and try to perform meditation.” He has established a strong bond with his followers through his distinctive greeting “Ram Ram Bhai Sarya Ne” which also became very popular among netizens.
Similar to Instagram, his YouTube career began with the publication of amusing Haryanvi films on his channel, Haryanvi Khagad. However, following the COVID-19 shutdown, he changed the primary focus of his content to fitness and started making videos on diets and exercises after renamed the channel Ankit Baiyanpuria. His channel now boasts approximately 2 million subscribers, earning him a silver YouTube play button.
While reacting to the tremendous accomplishment in a recent interview with The Tribune Ankit remarked, “My entire journey has been amazing. There are no particular moments as such because the routine was the same every single day for 75 days. However, I have truly enjoyed this process because of the kind of results it has given me. It wasn’t easy at all initially to complete the challenge daily but after a few days it got easier and I found myself pushing my boundaries to do better each day.”
He voiced, “Some days I would feel like giving up but then I kept my determination and tried to do better each day. One of the experiences that I would like to share is when I cramped my thigh during a workout, I was in immense pain and couldn’t do any work. However, I continued with my other daily challenge work and recovered well.”
He expressed his admiration for his supporters and conveyed, “I have a great love for my followers and consider all of them as my friends. They all are like me coming from a rural background and wanting to achieve big in life, that’s why they are with me.”
He emphasised that he wanted to continue to wrestle but was unable to do so because of his injury and that he planned to make a comeback. “I am in my recovery period right now, but do hope to make a comeback and also to play for India in the future, and yes, I do miss the ring a lot. It has been an integral part of my growing-up years.”
He referred to the physical and mental aspects of the challenge as the “most important part of his life.” He credited ‘Shrimad Bhagavad Gita’ for acting as a guiding light and pointed out, “‘The Bhagwad Gita’ showed me the way towards spirituality and it helped me a lot in mental calmness. Physical strength is something that can be achieved but mental strength comes from spirituality only, so that’s why it is the most important factor in my challenge.”
The social media influencer’s current goal is to return to the competition and represent India.
