You’ve written a book about a community you’re not a part of. Often, when people work on such projects, there are questions about the power dynamics between the researcher and the subject. What did you do to make sure it was done respectfully?
Thanks for this question. When a book goes out into the wider world, concerns about cultural appropriation need to be addressed. I see myself as a cultural translator. When I visit a group, I try to understand their culture and listen to their stories. I interpret what I learn from them to people of a different culture. That’s how I see my role.
I didn’t go to the Bishnoi community asking, “Please, can I write this story?” I went up to him and said, “I’ve heard a lot about you. I consider myself an environmentalist, so I’ve come to learn from you.” Frankly, this was the only purpose with which I went. After four days of intense learning, I reached a platform where a big Bishnoi festival was being organized in honor of a handsome young man who had died while trying to save a chinkara from a hunter.
Suddenly, I heard my name being announced. When I put “Professor Goodman” and “book” together in my mind, I realized what was happening. He asked me to write a book about him. This was completely unexpected. Everyone was getting very excited about this idea.
It seems as if the Bishnoi community trusted you and commissioned you to write. What was your immediate reaction?
Most of their conversations with each other were in Marwari, a language I did not know. I was asked to write the book and share it with the world because they wanted their story to be heard. I could have chosen to reject it but I didn’t. I just folded my hands and said yes. I was told that I should take the work very seriously, read widely to learn more about the life and teachings of Guru Jambhoji of the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan, and visit all the holy places that were important to him. So, I decided not to tell my story beyond the journey and to focus on telling the stories of the people I met and learned from.
You get to see an aspect of Rajasthan that is not widely discussed by international visitors. This venue is often limited to forts, palaces and destination weddings. What inspired you to devote so much time and energy to learning about the Bishnoi community?
England actually has a tradition of coming to India to learn. Being English, it was definitely on my mind. My interest in the spiritual traditions of Rajasthan is linked to my broader interest in the spiritual traditions of India. When I was very young I read a book called A Search in Secret India written by Paul Brunton. This is what brought me to India. Brunton met the sage Ramana Maharshi in Tiruvannamalai. When I read about it, I was very inspired by a man who took a mountain (Arunachala) as his spiritual guide. I wanted to be there myself.
my book on the sacred mountains Journeys to the sacred mountains emerged from Türkiye, India, Sri Lanka, Ireland, and the American Southwest. It also includes Arunachala, who is worshiped as an incarnation of Lord Shiva himself. When I went and observed all these mountains in the traditions of local communities, I wanted to see if I would change as a result. I felt like a piece of litmus paper on which the mountains and their energy were acting.
The common thread I see in both of these books is the desire to deepen our relationship with nature. What can environmentalists, who are not from the Bishnoi community, take from Jambhoji’s teachings and incorporate them in their work?
One of Jambhoji’s teachings is that you should take action while you are young. You shouldn’t wait until you’re too old to do good things. When I spent time with the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan, I found many examples of youth taking action. Taking care of animals and trees is included as a religious duty in their life. They are very committed.
Some of the young Bishnois I met were curious to know what I thought about Greta Thunberg. In turn, I wanted to know what they thought about him. She said that she often gets very angry and should focus her energy on doing something more constructive. Bishnoi believes that the youth are not powerless. They are even ready to risk their lives. Even in Britain, older people are attracted to environmental action as their children become more aware.
In fact, the word ‘Bishnoi’ itself comes from ‘bish’ meaning 20, and ‘noi’ meaning 9. Jambhoji laid down 29 principles that the Bishnois follow. People who are not from the community can go through them, and find out which of them is relevant. Some of them relate to one’s personal conduct, for example, not talking negatively about others when they are not around you, and not arguing for the sake of arguing. These are principles that environmentalists can benefit from.
How do young Bishnois understand the meaning of the teachings they received? To what extent are they willing to carry forward the traditions they have inherited?
A young boy at school was the first to tell me about the story of Amrita Devi and the 363 martyrs of Khejarli, Rajasthan, who saved the trees of Khejarli from being cut down by Maharaja Abhay Singh’s men in 1730. I asked him, “Would you give your life for a tree?” He said, “Yes, I will.” He didn’t need to stop and think about it. When I asked him why, he said, “Because one tree is for everyone. I’m just for one family.” I was very impressed! Young Bishnoi is very committed to protect trees and animals. They grow up hearing inspiring stories that instill in them a strong sense of duty. They also take very good care of Chinkara.
What I found really amazing was that there are many examples of Bishnoi women breastfeeding orphan chinkaras. This is a whole new level of care for any other species. How did you feel when you first heard about it?
There are many things about the Bishnoi community that make you really think about how you are living your life. For them there is no difference between the life of a human being and the life of a chinkara. His thought process is very simple. What will you do if a gazelle becomes orphan? let it die? Or give it what it needs? So, they will feed it their milk. It’s huge! He has a different mentality. It’s not simple environmentalism, like, you know, let’s plant a tree or buy ethical fashion. It’s about putting your life on the line and taking action.
How would you describe your spiritual journey? How did this help you appreciate the faith of the Bishnois, which is deeply connected to their surroundings?
When I was a child in school, we were shown a picture of Hindus worshiping a tree. This made perfect sense to me because trees are part of God’s creation. Later I started talking to the mountains and taking guidance from them. An Indian spiritual teacher named Ma Meera has also played an important role in my life. my book, In search of the divine motherThis is his biography. I visited her ashram in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh and liked her teachings because she taught in silence. There was no dogma, no one telling you what to do. She now lives in a village in Germany and has thousands of followers. He is seen as God on earth in female form. Transcendental meditation and Sufism have also been a part of my journey. I don’t see myself as an atheist but I also have difficulty fitting into any institution or tradition.
Vegetarianism is another topic that comes up for discussion my head for a tree. This can be divisive in a country like India, where people have different attachments to vegetarianism, be it religion, animal rights or caste. How can we talk about this in a way that benefits animals while taking into account the cultural context?
According to Bishnois, eating animals, harming animals, killing animals, all this is wrong. Every animal should live its natural life. But the question you are asking is broad and its answer may or may not be found in Bishnoi realism. People are on different journeys, and they look for what is comfortable for them. Not everyone will want to switch to vegetarianism, but they may be willing to eat more consciously. The best place to start is to learn to accept that eating red meat is one of the most harmful things on the planet because producing meat requires land and water resources, and the animals emit methane. People can take small steps like reducing red meat consumption, or gradually increasing the number of vegetarian meals per week. If your ambition is to live more lightly on Earth, you can figure out how to live that way. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
Chintan Girish Modi curated the fiction/non-fiction segment of the Green Literature Awards 2025. He is @chintanwriting on Instagram and X.
