Majumdar, Shruti

Nature conservation has been an integral part of Indian society since time immemorial. The notion of ‘sacred’ has been used to express the utmost importance of the natural resources. For instance, there are sacred plants that cannot be harmed, sacred animals that cannot be poached and sacred rivers that must not be polluted. Similarly, there are Sacred Groves spread all over India (and globally) that are preserved and protected by the indigenous communities through their unique socio-cultural practices that run across generations. They are the sites of communal stewardship showing pathways of sustainable futures and respect for the natural world.
Sacred Groves are known by different names in India. In Rajasthan, they are called Orans. Being an arid state, Orans are the green oasis in this desert state. The indigenous communities of Rajasthan play a key role in maintaining and conserving these Sacred Groves. These communities are dependent on the Groves culturally, socially and economically as well. They collect grass, dry wood and wild berries from the Orans and even take their cattle to graze on these sites. This qualitative, interpretive and ethnographic study highlights the cultural practices embedded in the everyday lives of tribal communities in Rajasthan to show how the culture of the tribals is intricately linked to nature conservation hence making them the experts of climate resilience.
This paper also discusses the process of ‘Institutional Bricolage’ in the domain of natural resource governance and how this approach can help in better understanding the hybrid dialogue between the formal institutions of ecological conservation and informal elements of people’s agency, situatedness and power relations within the community. In conclusion, this paper argues that identifying and acknowledging the different socio-cultural beliefs and practices of the local communities, alongside formal rules and regulations, is crucial for managing and conserving Sacred Groves of India and beyond.