My India - Jim Corbett

Excerpts from various books written by Jim Corbett. This book talks about the experiences of Jim Corbett, during his years in the United Provinces or what is now known as Uttarakhand. Here we see a different side to Corbett, not as the intrepid hunter of big cats but a man who blends seamlessly with the mountain folk of Northern India. Join him in his adventures and feel the thrills of hunting; follow him into dense forests as he encounters a dreaded dacoit who has a heart of gold; and enjoy the tales of love, loyalty and resilience of simple villagers. This skillful storyteller is sure to keep you glued to the book.

I first stumbled upon this book, while browsing the library in my father's office in 2006. Having been a avid discovery channel's nature show, this book immediately piqued my interest. Books had a been a once read exercise for me throughout. But his one connected with me on a different level. I ended up reading it 3 times over a period of 6 years between 2006-2012. Planning to pick it up once again once the finer details of the text get washed away with time.

My fondness of the book is based on a rather funny thing. For reasons unknown my nightmares are made up of tigers chasing me around. I run, jump and hide to avoid the beast(s) chasing me over varied landscapes. And in this book, the protagonist, who actually in person walks into a dark forest chasing tigers and such. Tigers who are man eaters none the less.

Reading this books somehow provided me with courage and strength in real life to face any challenges that I face. In face of adversity I close my eyes imagine myself in the same dark forest along with Jim. From this I draw courage from the fact that my current challenges pale in comparison to what Jim would be facing there.

Read this book to draw courage or for the exquisite story writing on the India of an era gone by. Sympathize or admire the country folks of the past. How despite such dangerous living conditions and colonial opression, people lived on. Admire the fact that we live in the best of times despite all the fear mogering that is main staple of media.

Jim Corbett

A famous hunter, A legendary storyteller and A simple man.

Edward James "Jim" Corbett was a British hunter, turned conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for hunting a large number of man-eaters in India. Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were harassing people in the nearby villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. His hunting successes earned him a long-held respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon. Some even claim that he was considered to be a sadhu (saint) by the locals. Corbett was an avid photographer and after his retirement, authored the Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed much critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish it. The national park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour in 1957 after his death in 1955.