Group A: Bishnois contributed a lot to protect the ecology of the desert.

Group B: No doubt about it. It was made possible by their religious leader Jambaji.

Group C: Who was Jambaji?

Group D: Jambaji was born in 1451 AD during the reign of Rao Jodhaji.

Group A: What was so great about Jambaji?

Group B: When Jambaji was twenty-five years old, a great disaster overtook the region.

Group C: A terrible drought overtook the region.

Group D: People cut down all the trees and hunted down all animals.

Group A: In the end, people migrated to other areas and thousands of cattle perished on the way.

Group B: Dying animals and starving children moved Jambaji.

Group C: He realised that pride and selfishness of man were destroying the world around him.

Group C: Jambaji wanted the earth to be covered again by khejdi, ber, ker and sangri trees.

Group D: Jambaji’s message included twenty-nine tenets. His two major commandments were a prohibition against the cutting down of any green tree or the killing of any animal.

Group A: Jambaji’s followers were called Bishnois or twenty niners.

Group B: The preserved the trees around their villages and protected black bucks and all other birds and animals.

Group C: Gradually their territory became covered by trees and the Bishnois became a prosperous people.

Group D: In 1730, they defied Maharajah Abhay Singh’s order and didn’t allow his men to cut trees in their village.

Group A: 363 Bishnois laid down their lives to save their khejdi trees.

Group B: A few years ago they planted 363 trees to honour their 363 martyrs.

Group C: In this way, Bishnois laid down even their lives to protect the ecology of the desert.

Group D: Even today, Bishnois follow the message of their religious leader, Jambaji, not to cut trees and kill blackbucks and other birds and animals.