ALLAHABAD: Known for their love for nature and wildlife, a group of 35 people of the Bishnoi community from Kankari, Salawas and Bhawad villages of Jodhpur district in Rajasthan not only took the holy dip in the Sangam on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya on Monday, but also propagated the message of wildlife conservation among the devotees.Group members included Tej Singh, Kailash, Ramesh, Laxman, Anand, Sajni, Choti, Bihu, Seeta, Loona Devi, Bahuri and Mamta among others. They carried also carried a banner with messages highlighting the importance of wildlife conservation.Group leader Tej Singh told TOI, “For the past four generations, we were coming to Sangam to take holy dip especially on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya during Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh melas and spreading the message of wildlife conservation among the pilgrims and devotees.”“The community opposes killing of wildlife, and had hogged the limelight after Bollywood star Salman Khan was accused of killing a blackbuck in their area in Rajsthan,” he said adding, “We spread the message of wildlife conservation among hundreds of devotees today.”“We respect Santan Dharma and believe that Lord Shiva would not tolerate killing of animals. Everyone in our village works for wildlife conservation and we don’t want to see animals getting hurt in hunting. Several youths like me had lodged stirs against killing of blackbucks,” he added.“After covering around 800 kms, we reached Sangam on Sunday evening and will started our journey back home after holy dip. Our forefathers used to visit the Sangam on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya on Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh and we are following the tradition,” he said.Kailash, another group member, said: “We strongly believe in wildlife conservation and spread the message while on pilgrimages. We consider the blackbuck to be the reincarnation of religious Guru Bhagwan Jambeshwar, also known as Jambaji. A Bishnoi, therefore, would never tolerate killing of wild animals or felling of a tree. The origin of the Bishnoi community dates back to late 15th century.”Another member of the group, Luna Devi, said: “Being the follower of Guru Bhagwan Jambaji and Lord Shiva, we believe in spreading the message of serving the mankind and wildlife conservation. This is the message we today spread among the devotees visiting the Kumbh mela.”

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