This is an unusual ‘travel’ piece. It’s the story of two communities who could have only been born in the harsh deserts of Rajasthan — the conservationists called Bishnois, and the soul-stirring folk singers called Manganiyars. The Bishnois live in the villages around Jodhpur and the latter near Jaisalmer, both encircled by the severe sand dunes of the Thar desert.

The simmering desert of Kanoi

The Bishnois
In my search for the roots of Bishnois, the first halt is  Jodhpur from where my friend and guide, Omprakash Lol, drives me to Samrathal, the epicentre of a green revolution that happened here more than five centuries ago. This community was founded in 1485 by a saint named Lord Jambheshwar. Sitting on the shifting sand dunes of Samrathal, Jambheshwar meditated and saw visions of a green paradise.

He told his disciples that in these hostile conditions, every drop of water should be saved, every green leaf preserved, and every animal protected. In fact, one of the 29 tenets of the Bishnois is ‘Sar sathe rookh rahe, phir bhi sastho jaan’. It means, ‘Even if you have to give up your life to save a single tree, it’s still worth it.’ The Bishnois don’t just live by this principle, they even die for it.