Animal life, plants and trees are more than a "cause" for the Bishnois, the original ecological warriors of India. It is an aspect of life in Jodhpur and villages around it that many outsiders do not understand or see in the religious and cultural context. Any harm to the animals, plants and trees would be seen in cultural and religious context of Jodhpur. In Bishnoi Guda, love for trees, animals and the environment is intertwined in devotion, religiosity and culture. It exists in the most vibrant expressions and colours. Every effort to conserve ecology begins at home. Love for trees is found wrapped in sacred threads around the barks. Some threads seen, many and more unseen and intangible. Bishnoi protects all animals, but the antelope is special. It is considered sacred.

Pictures of Bishnoi women, especially those living in Bishnoi Guda seen breastfeeding orphaned fawns, have been shared widely by travellers and visitors to the region. These images are moving reflections of vatsalya prem – the love of a mother for the child. The beautiful Bishnoi women offer love and care to suckling fawns, temporarily substituting for the absent mother. Here, the Bishnoi women seemingly become one with nature.

How does the act of breastfeeding a fawn set apart the Bishnois of Guda Bishnoi from other communities upholding forest-based life and traditions? Barju Devi explains, "we feed them like we feed our own babies. Kindness towards animals and plants is part of the sacred tenets we follow. It manifests in our day to day living. Our dharm."

Women in Bishnoi community are at the core of the unfaltering ecological movement since Amrita Devi Bishnoi who laid down her life for protecting Khejri trees in Khejarli village. Bishnoi resistance gave India and the world an environmental movement. Today, women like Barju Devi Bishnoi are at the forefront of protecting and preserving trees, animal life, natural resources and environment in the strongly-knit Bishnoi samaj. They commemorate the sacrifice of Amrita Devi Bishnoi in every small effort towards saving and preserving ecology, and in a mela (a congregation) held in Khejarli village, annually, to remember the sacrifice.

The Bishnois, in 1730, had resisted the cutting and felling of Khejri trees for the building of a palace for the then Maharaja of Jodhpur, by hugging them, trying to prevent them from the axe. Amrita Devi Bishnoi became the seed, word and leading force of this resistance. The resistance picked up pace and 363 Bishnois sacrificed their lives. The maharaja apologised after the devastation. From him, in repentance, came a decree that no trees would be cut and no antelope harmed or killed in Bishnoi villages.

Centuries after the sacrifice of Amrita Devi Bishnoi, testimonies of Poonamchand Bishnoi, who is hailed by Mahipal for "standing firm Ganga and courageous" in the Salman Khan case, came as a soft reminder of the Bishnoi community's steadfast resolve to protect animals and ecology. Mahipal adds, "Poonamchand Bishnoi did not buckle under pressure. The community stood behind him. Our collective values stood behind us. It was a struggle that lasted 20 years." The Bishnoi community welcomed the actor's conviction.

Mahipal adds, "the case and conviction against the Bollywood actor was full of challenges. The Bishnoi community persisted against all odds – undaunted by any factor or pressure that would confront our faith in values and tenets laid by Guru Jambeshwar ji." This was, however, not the first time a Bishnoi stood for his values. Bishnois have braved bullets to confront poachers. Some have lost their lives in fighting for the protection of animals. "Nihal Chand Bishnoi is one of them. Ganga Ram Bishnoi is one of them," adds Mahipal.

Nihal Chand was protecting a chinkara (gazelle). Ganga Ram courageously fought killers of chinkara and got killed while confronting them. "the conviction has proved helpful. Neeche tapke ke shikari darne lag gaye, ki itne bade aadmi ko saza ho gayee to hum to machchar hain (smaller hunters fear getting punished now, knowing that a popular man got convicted). It created a pressure on them," Khamma Ram adds.