My head for a tree The extraordinary story of the Bishnoi, guardians of nature

The remarkable Bishnoi of India, whose unique religion "has environmental protection at its very core," recruited Goodman to tell their dramatic story. This includes tales of the miracles and revelations of their founding guru, Jambhoji (1451--1536), who perceived, during a terrible drought, that to alleviate suffering, "people had to stop living in conflict with their environment." This inspired 29 rules that require the Bishnoi (which translates as 29) to "protect all living beings." The book's title refers to a defining event in Bishnoi history. In 1730, the women of a desert village, led by Amrita Devi, interceded when troops of the Maharaja began chopping down a forest. The Bishnoi hugged the trees to try to protect them, sacrificing their lives as the soldiers cut off their heads. More villagers arrived to defend the trees, and 363 were killed. Today's Bishnoi are just as fiercely courageous. As well-organized and strategic protectors of trees and wildlife, they chase down poachers and others who threaten nature, then assiduously pursue them in the courts. The Bishnoi also rescue orphaned and injured animals, plant many trees, and grow crops in the desert, seeking to keep life in balance, values and practices with tremendous resonance as people everywhere face the harsh impacts of climate change.

"For a Bishnoi, caring for the natural world is a completely natural way of living. It is unimaginable not to do so," explains science writer Goodman (On Bended Knees) in this immersive portrait of the remote Hindu sect. Found in the deserts of northern India, the Bishnoi adhere to 29 tenets given to them by their founding guru, Jambhoji, in the 16th century. The most important of these, "Be kind to all living beings," demands that adherents never cut down any living trees. As such, many Bishnoi became "environmental warriors" long before the 20th century, among them 363 Bishnoi villagers massacred in 1730 while attempting to stop the Maharajah from harvesting their village's trees. Today, Goodman writes, many Bishnoi have become lawyers, utilizing the legal system to fight for environmental justice, while others are more militant, like the Tiger Force, a vigilante group that battles poachers. Goodman profiles his subjects and relates his historical anecdotes with the verve and amiability of a travel writer, though at times his rosy, admiring view treads too lightly over thorny issues of nationalism (for instance, he recounts, without comment on the larger political dynamics possibly at play, a 2023 episode in which a Bishnoi gangster publicly threatened to send assassins after a Muslim Indian actor accused of poaching). Still, it's an infectiously buoyant and upbeat account of committed environmental activism. (Apr.)