we visited a bishnoi family compound while we were in rajasthan.
these people lived near rohet.
bishnoi call themselves the first environmentalists….so i fell in love with them immediately.
you can read more about them here.

we drove up in jeeps, to what seemed like the middle of nowhere….and there in the desert was this beautifully clean and tidy compound.
it had a sturdy thorn fence all around it and several round mud huts with lovely twiggy roofs.
the round huts were about 8 metres in diameter, with low doorways, but you could stand up inside.
no windows, no doors….just airholes placed to catch any breezes.
the huts were made of hand-packed and hand-smoothed mud and cow dung and had that sort of organic natural texture that you pay a fortune for in australia.
and a soft tan colour that was very relaxing to look at.
they had very simple belongings…frames strung with ropes for beds, a heap of textiles for blankets, basic and sturdy and well-worn cooking utensils and not a lot else.
the women all wore their jewellery and beautiful saris.
two teenaged girls had just come home from school and were in green uniforms.

the bishnoi live without electricity…they are vegetarian and they don’t cut living trees.
they collect rainwater, rather than pump it with animals or electricity.
this family of 3 generations, 25 people, lived well on 13 hectares of barren-looking desert with their cattle.
they had a neem tree for their immediate medicine.
the school was in the village and the hospital was 9 km away.
the adult men were away working for cash and would return for the planting and harvest seasons, when all hands were required.
they all looked healthy and beautiful and the children were happy and harmonious.
the entire compound had a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere and was so quiet compared to everywhere else we visited!

i couldn’t help but marvel at these resilient, peaceful people.
world financial meltdowns wouldn’t touch them, no amount of global economic crises would affect their lives in the slightest.
they would simply endure and thrive as they have for centuries.

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