Since the fifteenth century, men and women living in the Thar desert of Rajasthan, India, have been willing to give their lives to protect wild animals and trees, living with them in total harmony considering them as members of their family. Recognized as the world first ecologists, the Bishnois, which means 29 in local language, are following the 29 rules established in 1485 AD by guru Jambheshwar. This followed an apocalyptic environmental vision that showed mankind slowly digging its own grave.
Many individuals, from various casts, have joined this movement. Today over 600,000 Bishnois are fighting to preserve nature and wildlife in the Thar desert.
Franck Vogel works as a freelance photojournalist on social and environmental issues for the international press (Paris Match, GEO, Le Monde magazine, NRC Weekblad, Animan, Discovery magazine…). Since 2007, he has focused on the unique relationships between Nature and Human beings to show the World that it’s possible to live in harmony. In India, his story on the Bishnois, the world’s first environmentalists, illustrates this in the best way. This work has been published all over the world, including GEO magazine for its special 30th anniversary in 2009, and featured inside Parisian Metro stations in 2011 (Montparnasse) and 2012 (Luxembourg ). Over 12 million visitors have seen those huge exhibitions. To give a wider audience, Franck wrote and co-directed a 52 min documentary film for France 5, “The Bishnois, India’s eco-warriors”, broadcast in June 2011. He is ambassador for Green Cross France, Mikhaïl Gorbatchev’s NGO.
The book Bishnoïs is available in three different formats. Through March 17 Blurb is offering a special 20% discount on all three. Enter the code: BISHNOIBLURB on their website.
Bishnoïs, Franck Vogel
French / English
– Magazine Edition
(92p, 22x28cm): 25,95€
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– Regular Book Edition
(90p, 20x25cm): 50,95€
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– Edition Fine Art
(98p, papier Fine Art, 30x30cm), limitée à 500 exemplaires.
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