Glorifying Edward James Jim Corbett on his 148th Birthday

On 25th July 2023, Jim Corbett’s 148th birthday was celebrated at the most popular and India’s oldest Corbett National Park, named after him. 148 years ago in 1875, July 25, Jim Corbett, the most celebrated hunter-turned-conservationist of India, was born in the foothills of the Western Himalayas. The birthday eve was celebrated on Tuesday, in the Dhikala Zone, Dhangarhi Gate of the national park. The statues of Jim Corbett were garlanded with flowers and a cake was cut by the forest officials, celebrating his unparalleled contributions. There was also a plantation drive occasion the day.

Established in 1936, the national park was initially named after the then Governor of United Provinces, Sir Malcolm Hailey, as Hailey National Park. Corbett gained reverence, as he imparted awareness regarding the importance of biodiversity and also saved many people of Uttarakhand from man-eaters. The person was also instrumental in generating employment for the locals and escalating revenue in the sector of tourism. Being a high-ranked colonel in the British Indian Army and a skilled hunter, he was summoned by the British Government of the United Provinces of Oudh and Agra to get rid of the man-eating tigers that had created havoc in the Kumaon and Garhwal. 436 people were killed in Champawat by a man-eater in 1907. And in 1910, a leopard killed 400 people in Mukteshwar. Jim Corbett freed the people from the constant threat of the man-eating tiger and leopards. Bu the age of 31 he had slayed 33 man-eaters and leopards.

5 of his books written about the hunting adventures of various regions got into the limelight in later years. Jim Corbett died of a heart attack on 19th April 1955, after completing his last book ‘Tree Tops’, the only book that was not about India.

1. Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944) – The book depicts the detailed experience of Jim Corbett in the Kumaon region from 1900 – 1930. He hunted Indian leopards and man-eating Bengal tigers during the period. The book contains incidental information about the villagers, flora and fauna, and 10 stories of tracking and hunting the man-eaters in the Indian Himalayas.
2. The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag (1947) – The book provides a detailed account of a notorious male leopard of Rudraprayag, who was a man-eater. The leopard caused terror in the hills of Colonial United Provinces and is said to have killed more than 125 people. Jim Corbett eventually killed the leopard.
3. My India (1952) – The collection of the classic tales of ‘My India’ is written about the rural lives of the Indian foothills. Corbett expresses his empathy in the book about the living conditions of the villagers.
4. Jungle Lore (1953) – The book is close to an autobiography, where Corbett mentioned his interest and passion for forests, people staying near forests, and wildlife of the Kumaoni hills.
5. My Kumaon (2012) – The book consists of unpublished writings of Corbett about Kumaon, nature, man-eaters, personal letters to the publisher and articles written for newspapers.

Embark into a Corbett Tiger Tour to imbibe the true essence of the contributions of the famous Edward James Jim Corbett.