Meet the Karnataka-based newlyweds who cleared hundreds of kilos of waste from a beach in Baindur

While a honeymoon is supposed to be a romantic time for newlyweds, these two decided to spend their honeymoon differently. Of course, it did involve a beach, but with a completely different activity.

Instead of taking a break and enjoying the sun, sand and the sea, Anudeep Hegde and Minusha Kanchan decided to clean up the Someshwara beach, about 3 kilometres from Anudeep’s house in Baindur.

“We were considering Lakshadweep or Himachal Pradesh… but the pandemic and risks of long-distance travel at this time had made us wary. All this while, we had also been noticing that the beach where I often came while growing up had transformed for the worse. There was so much waste – mostly chappals, alcohol bottles and medicine bottles – littering the shore. I just spontaneously suggested to Minusha that we do a clean up till we are here. And she agreed without hesitation,” Anudeep told The News Minute.

Passionate about marine conservation, this isn’t Anudeep’s first beach clean-up. So after getting Minusha on board, the couple got to work with two pairs of gloves and large garbage bags.

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The clean-up happened between November 25 and December 5, when the couple cleared about 600 kilos of garbage from the beach. Anudeep had tweeted - “Can two persons make a difference? Got married two weeks back and with my wife have decided to clean up this beach before we celebrate honeymoon. 40% have been cleared. Few more days to go. A much satisfying experience so far.”

When word got out about their clean-up drive, about 15-16 young people joined them. But they had already cleaned about 70 percent of the beach. The fact that so many people were interested in the initiative surprised the duo.

However, now that this has gained traction, Anudeep says that they plan to keep the momentum alive. “Now that people have gotten interested, we want to raise further awareness about cleanliness and marine conservation. While this is a small shore and the clean-up will be done in another week, we will perhaps collaborate and participate in other ones happening around us,” he added.