Mangaluru: Nithyananda Shetty and his wife Ramya will conclude their ‘Gubbachi Goodu Karnataka Yatra’ on Valentine’s Day, symbolising their shared commitment to environmental conservation.The second leg of their yatra began in Oct last year, as part of their ‘Gubbachi Goodu’ campaign. They have visited govt schools across 31 districts of Karnataka and spread awareness about bird conservation, emphasising the importance of maintaining greenery to protect biodiversity. During their visits, they have stressed the importance of having bird feeders at homes and schools. The campaign began in 2017-18.“So far, the farmer couple has covered 454 schools and will add five more before concluding the journey on Saturday,” Shetty said. “The response from schools in north Karnataka is amazing. Teachers from Turuvekere, Gadag and Davanagere went the extra mile to accommodate our sessions.”However, the journey was not without challenges. The family travelled in a minivan. The biggest difficulty was identifying and accessing schools. There were instances wherein they were denied permission. For example, they planned to cover seven schools in Bagalkot on Friday, but managed to visit only three. Yet, encouragement from several teachers kept them motivated. “In some schools, teachers urged us to continue this journey further,” he said.Ramya, an author, spoke about her husband’s passion for culture and conservation. The couple also conducted extensive research on kambala. Their environmental commitment began at home, with a dedicated two acres of their land exclusively for birds, creating a safe habitat that attracts species throughout the year.Travelling with their two daughters, Nisarga and Prakruthi, the family turned the yatra into a living lesson in love, sustainability and togetherness. “We grew stronger as a family and also got to understand the condition of govt schools across the state. We travelled every alternate week and our journey will continue,” said Ramya.
