If stories of his hunting skills still add to the inquisitiveness of wildlife activists, only a few know that Edward Jim Corbett, the famous hunter turned conservationist, was also a man of letters. More than half a dozen books that Jim Corbett penned during his hunting days on wildlife particularly on tigers and other dreaded animals, bear testimony to this.
Some of the Jim Corbett’s books, including Maneaters of Kumaon, My India, Jungle lore, Temple Tiger, Man eating leopard of Rudraprayag, Treetops, to name a few still remain on high demand among his followers and wildlife activists.
People may collect these books from the Moti’s Souvenir Shop set up at the Jim Corbett museum, Chhoti Haldwani which was once owned by Jim Corbett. Besides, he also had good command over many local dialects like Kumaioni and Garhwali languages, apart from English and other foreign languages, as his followers here maintained.
To mark the 60th death anniversary of Edward Jim Corbett, the villagers of Chhoti Haldwani and members of Corbett Gram Vikas Samiti (CGVS), a social organisation that works to promote community tourism and legacy of Jim Corbett, paid tributes to Jim Corbett at the Cobett Museum, Chhoti Haldwani, Kaladhungi on Sunday.
Apart from remembering him on his 60th death anniversary, we also pledged to work for preservation of nature and wildlife, Mohan Pandey, a member of the CGVS. Besides, school children from many public schools were also present on this occasion and experts taught them about importance of conservation of flora and fauna on this occasion, he added.
Jim Corbett popularly known as ‘Carpet Sahib” among his followers, may be known for killing of dozens of tigers and other dreaded animals in the thick jungles of Kumaon, but in the later half period of his life, he remained devoted to the conservation of wildlife and flora and fauna of this region.
Born on July 25, 1875 in Nainital, he was brought up at Kaladhungi which is surrounded by dense forest of Shivalik range. He killed more than 50 tigers, more than 250 leopards and many other wild animals during his early days of hunting. later he left gun and took camera for saving wildlife, maintained his followers here. Jim Corbett died on April 19, 1955 in Kenya, recalled the villagers .
As they further said, Jim Corbett urged the then governor of United Provinces- Sir Malcolm Hailey to establish India’s first Wildlife Conservation Park. The park was named as Hailey National Park in 1936. later the park was renamed as Ramganga National Park in 1952 and after death of Jim Corbett, it was named as Jim Corbett National Park.