Friday, December 3, 2010

The Twenty Niners






When I was in Rajasthan, I took a safari excursion to a Bishnoi village. Bishnoi is a unique sect founded by Guru Jambheshwar who laid down 29 principles to be followed by the sect. Bish means 20 and noi means 9. Hence, Bishnoi literally means Twenty-niners. Strictly vegetarians, the eco-loving villagers are against killing animals and felling trees. They also take great pains to protect and conserve the black buck antelopes which are believed to be their guru’s manifestation after death.