Pioneering Environmentalists Community

By Vijai Singhal

Environmental Pollution has become one of the biggest problems facing humanity. The Bishnoi community in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan consists of people practicing good environmental principles for over 500 years. They are the followers of Guru Jambheshwar (1451-1536), who laid down 29 (Bis 20 + Noi 9) tenets of belief systems (part of the Hindu Vaishnava faith) to live a sustainable life in 1485.

Of these tenets, eight prescribe preserving biodiversity and encouraging good animal husbandry. The most important of these is compassion for all living beings, including plants and animals. Their empathy extends to protecting the entire ecosystem.

Amrita Devi Beniwal, of the Bishnoi community, was an environmentalist in the Khejarli village, near Jodhpur, Rajasthan. In the year 1730, she sacrificed her life along with those of her three daughters, protecting the trees from felling by the orders of Maharaja Abhay Singh of Marwar.

Other people from the community joined her in the protest. A total of 363 people sacrificed their lives. The Maharaja realized his mistake, ordered his troops to stop the massacre, and apologized to the community. This act of bravery is commemorated by the Bishnoi community every year. The Government of India has instituted the Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award for wildlife conservation and protecting the environment.

Inspired by this is said to be the recent 1970s Chipko Movement (Hugging the trees) to prevent logging of the forest in northern and central India. Bishnois also protect animals and birds like blackbuck-deers, chinkaras, peacocks, and endangered Indian bustards. They protect them from poachers and provide them an environment to graze freely in their farmlands.

Mukti Dham Mukam, near Bikaner, Rajasthan, is one of their sacred temples, being the final resting place of their Guru. There is an estimated Bishnoi population of six hundred thousand people living in northern and central India. Ranaran Bishnoi, 75 years of age, from Ekalhori village near Jodhpur, has converted barren land in the Thar desert into greenery by planting over 27,000 trees in the last 50 years. He is an example of a practicing Bishnoi gentleman.

Reference: Bishnoi – Wikipedia