Bishnois have message for everyone

Sudhirendar Sharma

Sudhirendar Sharma

Martin Goodman, a professor of creative writing, tells the extraordinary story of a desert-dwelling community of western Rajasthan who live in complete harmony with nature. The story dates back to 11 September 1730, in which 363 villagers led by Amrita Devi were beheaded by men who worked for the king and had wanted those trees to be logged. The massacre only stopped when the news reached the king, Abhay Singh. The martyrs of village Khejarli were all Bishnois, who were only following their guru Jambhoji who, during the 15th century unprecedented drought, had called them to live in harmony with nature.

My Head For A Tree

The Bishnois have persisted with such a conscience ever since, following it as a religion (perhaps the only one) that has environmental protection at its core. Their founding guru, Jambhoji (1451-1536), received a world-changing vision while in meditation under a tree. ‘A tree covered in greenery is my temple and my home.’ The spiritual leader set out the twenty-one rules in the sixteenth century which are religiously followed till date, most famously by a woman who had led 363 villagers to give their lives while chanting ‘my head for a tree’.

Times have changed but not the values that have remained dear to them. World over, men die for woman or for money. The same doesn’t hold good for Bishnois, who instead lay down their life to protect animals and trees. They do protect living beings at the cost of their lives, however, in modern times they have evolved into eco-warriors to ensure that the laws of the land are forcefully endorsed to protect all lives. The Bishnoi Tiger Force protects trees from loggers and animals from poachers. Even screen celebrity Salman Khan couldn’t escape their die-hard protective commitment. 

I have to say that Goodman’s timing with this release is timely, the story is steeped in ecologicsl issues and history. Despite its rich legacy, the story of the Bishnois has remained perhaps ‘a greatest story yet to be told’. Not anymore, the story about a community committed to protect the environment is out for the wider public. Its historical legacy notwithstanding, facts and values may have remained exclusive for Bishnois but their dedication to protect the trees and the animals can no longer remain confined.   

My Head For A Tree is a story about the incredible relentlessness of the Bishnois. Their commitment to a cause isn’t time sensitive, taken as a break from their regular lives; it becomes their life. They see the natural world as a vital entity with rights at least equal to ours. And that natural world includes other people as well as plants and animals. No wonder, a Bishnoi woman can be seen breast feeding an orphaned chinkara, a gazelle. And they don’t do it to create an identity for themselves, but to present what they believe in and practice.  

The Bishnois’ love of chinkara is profound. Around 85 percent of its global population live in the south-west Rajasthan. They flock to any waterhole but can also find enough moisture from plants and dew to survive days without drinking. Chinkara is now rightfully protected, not only in India but other countries like Pakistan and Iran. Khejri, the state tree of Rajasthan, is protected by law. The 363 martyrs at Khejrali weren’t forgotten while enacting such a law. What is more, if one tree is illegally felled then ten must be planted. 

It is an inspiring story that offers wisdom, concern and commitment. Spread across eighteen chapters, Goodman has been to Bishnoi’s farms, their schools, their temples, and animal shelters in giving the book a humbling touch of ecological commitment and empathy. Generous spread of pictures in the volume are not only relevant but enrich the narrative. If people across several countries face the unprecedented challenge of rising temperature and desertification, the Bishnois hold with them the message of survival not for themselves but for the community.

My Head For A Tree is an engaging book that connects our glorious past with an uncertain future, in relating an extraordinary group of people to the future climate collapse. Within the incredible ongoing story about a community lies the future story of survival of the mankind. The story of first eco-warriors, which now number no more than 6 lakh people, hold a message for all of us.  It is an essential reading for those who are concerned about our collective future, the Bishnoism that holds a future that is dear to all of us.           

My Head For A Tree

by Martin Goodman

Profile Books/ Hachette, New Delhi 

Extent: 270, Price: Rs. 699.

(Dr. Sudhirendar Sharma is a writer and researcher specializing in develop,ent issues. He is based in New Delhi, India)

First published in The Hindustan Times on Feb 6, 2025.