ABSTRACT
This is a book about the lives of villagers in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat in India. Having lived in India in my adolescence, I had sometimes wondered about the relationship of Indian villagers with their natural resources. My interest in this study was sparked in spring 2005 when I took a course on religion and environmental ethics with Professors Frederick Smith and Scott Schnell at the University of Iowa. This began my interest in exploring the diverse ways different communities interact with their environment. Out of thousands of different castes, groups, and sects present in the Indian villages, I have picked three communities spread across the villages of Rajasthan and Gujarat that have not only worshipped nature but also tried to protect and conserve it based on their beliefs and practices.
