Bishnois of Rajasthan: The original conservationists

In the Thar, where life is a fight for survival, there lives a community for whom saving the environment is their religion. The Bishnois of Rajasthan, show that it is possible to live in harmony with nature. Their founder, Guru Jambeshwar Ji, Also Known As Jamboji, was born in 1451 in a warrior-class family of Rajasthan. The community got its name from the twenty - nine teachings of Jambho ji known as Bishnoi - bish which is twenty and noi which is nine in Rajasthani.

Bishnois are very aggressive in protecting wildlife and the recent case of 1998 of a noted Bollywood star, Salman Khan is one of the many cases which shows that the community is fearless and strong-headed when it comes to the protection of the wildlife. The women take equal part in preserving nature by walking a long distance to get firewood from fallen trees and letting the newborn animal orphans suckle their breast milk like their own children.

Bishnois do not cut trees, instead they use dried cow dung as fuel. They do not cremate their dead as Hindus normally do, because it involves the use of firewood - instead, they bury them. Each family creates a tank in their field to provide water for blackbuck and Chinkara antelope. They also maintain groves for animals and birds to feed in. Bisnois often live in little hamlets called `Dhannis', with just a few round huts with intricate thatched roofs. They scrub the floors of the huts and the common courtyards, which are always kept meticulously clean, and cook in earthen ovens.

Mahatma Gandhi is said to have derived inspiration from the famous 'Chipko Movement' which originated here. It was a black Tuesday in the 17th century when 363 Bhishnois led by 'Amrita Devi' sacrificed their lives to protect khejri trees. Later known as the Khejadli Massacre, it started due to an order of Maharaja Abhay Singh, of Marwar who wanted the sacred Khejri trees for the construction of his new palace. Amrita Devi, protested against the men attempting to cut the trees who told her that she would have to bribe them to spare the trees. She said she would rather give her life to save trees. Then she spoke her last words: she said: "Sar sāntey rūkh rahe to bhī sasto jān" which means - If a tree is saved even at the cost of one's head, it's a cheap deal. Saying these words, she offered her head. The axes, which were brought to cut the trees, severed her head from her trunk. Her three young daughters, who were not shaken by this also offered their heads and met the same fate.

Today, the anniversary of the massacre is observed each year at village Khejadli, 26 km south-east of the city of Jodhpur, which has now become an important tourist destination not just for its history but also for the way the Bishnois of the area continue to fight against rampant poaching in the area. In October 1996, Nihal Chand Bishnoi had sacrificed his life for protecting wild animals.

The Bishnois are presently spread over the western parts of Rajasthan. They are more prosperous than the other communities living in the Thar Desert, probably because of their Eco-friendly lifestyle. They are passionate lovers of wild animals. It is because of their protection that in Bishnoi-dominated areas, deer and antelope are seen grazing in the green fields despite the fact that the State of Rajasthan where the Bishnois mainly live, faces severe water shortage.

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