On the 30th of September 2025, on a warm, breezy evening, the Banni Pashu Uchherak Maldhari Sangathan (BPUMS) headquarters at Hodka in the Banni grasslands of Kachchh, came alive with celebration. Representatives from BPUMS, Sahjeevan, RAMBLE, Faculty Members from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, and pastoral youth of Banni gathered to mark the formal launch of the Salim Node Certificate Course on Sustainable Pastoral Ecosystems of Banni in the presence of Mr. Sandeep Virmani, President - Sahjeevan; Ms. Kavita Mehta, Executive Director - Sahjeevan, Prof. Rajat Kathuria, Dean - SHSS-SNU and Prof. Rajeswari Raina, Institutional/ Ecological Economist, SNU. Supported by the Rainmatter Foundation, this initiative stands as a significant milestone in re-imagining conservation through community led actions.
The course—named after the late Salim Node or Salim Mama, a beloved Bhagiya (traditional knowledge holder and animal breeder), humanist, and activist—honours his legacy of wisdom, compassion, and ecological stewardship. Salim Mama believed that the health of the Banni grasslands was inseparable from the well-being of its people and animals. This course is built on that very belief: that local knowledge, when combined with science and policy understanding, can restore the delicate balance of one of Asia’s largest arid grasslands.
Structured as a 300-hour, four-month UGC-certified programme, the course invites pastoral youth to learn about ecology, soils, flora and fauna, ethno-veterinary medicine, and the laws governing their commons. It also trains them in mapping, project management, and visual documentation—tools essential for grassroots conservation leadership. Uniquely, much of the learning happens in the field, in the village commons, guided by community elders, scientists, and educators.
The course is not just an academic pursuit—it is a bridge between generations and knowledge systems. It nurtures pastoral youth as future custodians of Banni’s biodiversity, equipping them to lead conservation actions such as restoring degraded grasslands, managing invasive species like Prosopis juliflora, and supporting community forest rights and governance and management of the grasslands through local Community Forest Resource Management Committees (CFRMCs).
For Sahjeevan and its partners, this course is a natural extension of years of engagement with Banni’s pastoralists—helping communities revive traditional management practices, document biodiversity, and assert their rights over the commons. As one participant said at the launch, “We are learning not only about our land, but how to care for it together.”
The Salim Node Certificate Course thus embodies the spirit of Banni itself—resilient, rooted, and ever-evolving. It is a call to the youth to learn from their land, so they may lead for its future.
The detailed Course Prospectus on Sustainable Pastoral Ecosystems of Banni outlines the structure, modules, and unique field-based pedagogy that form the foundation of this initiative.
