I come from the central highlands of Sri Lanka, My uncle when I was a small boy always read the stories of Jim Corbett for me to fall asleep. I always needed a story to sleep to. The jungle was right next to our house and I could hear wild boar and other animals just out side the window at night while listening to the great adventures of Col Jim. Unforgettable and precious memories of a simpler time.
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in 1964 i joined Indian navy as navy boy .i being matriculate from Hindi school was extremely poor to read or write English. one of our instructor Lt mishra asked what iliked best i replied , sir shikar. next day he gave me the book maneaters of kumaun. with the help of dictnory i must have read the book 10 times. that was my begaining of learning english language. the 2nd book was My India purchased from footpath for just Rs2 only. susequently i purchased all his books when ever i could olso i loved his short auto biography Carpet sahib by martin booth.very recently i got his last book tree tops and liked it as usual. after 33years of defence services i retired as Lt Col from Indian Army. my defence carrierwas given a direction and motive and the credit goes to Man Eaters of Kumaun as well as My India with out these books i could not have achived what i acived otherwise. even today he is my hero. i still read his books and every time i enjoy a neww thrill and pleasur. his books has inculcated in me not only love nature but as well wilde life. my humble gratitude to him for making my life so rich and plasurable.
I first read "Man Eatersof Kumoan in 1970 and have continued reading it and several of his other books. Sometimes I can see the tiger hanging on the tree before it fell.
I have lived both in India and Kenya and have been an admirer of Jim corbett since early childhood ..in the 80s I spent my winters often exploring Kumaon ,and found the spirit of jim .. as i have become older I have started to see jim as an example .as a human being ...and like great men everywhere an inspiration on how to live with dignity ..as we pass through this life humility courage kindness charity ,sense of humor Jim had it all . as a man from a humble background with humble work in indian railways he made duty a devotion . I really feel he is one of the worlds greats .made greater by the fact he would never accept the honors I pour on his memory .in a time when conservation is an obvious need. its important to understand how modern was jims desire for it then with no examples to follow he was the first of a kind .also in a harsher time of power broking . how modern was his respect for less fortunate souls ,almost the political sensitivity of the 21 century .he really deserved the famous accolade 'big heart,ed gentleman' himself
I was born in the year The Great Jim Corbrt passed into heavenly abode, i do not even remember how I came to know of him or his renowned book "The Man-Eaters of Kumaon" but having read it while in school I have read it thereafter several times & even now I am reading it. The more I read the more I admire thecourage and selfless dedication of a simple man who risked his own life to aleviate the sufferings of poor hill folks from scourge of dreaded man eating tigers and leopards. He was a great naturalist also as is evident from his writings. He was truely a great human being.
I lived in Naini Tal as a child and met Jim Corbett who was a friend of my parents and grandparents. He left for Africa in 1947 and soon after, we left to live in Australia.
I have no memory of my uncle but have heard and read so much, he would have been a great man to meet. I am very proud to be part of his family
I just finished re-reading "My India"...an amazing book! Corbett introduces us to the "Locals" with whom he had personal dealings: characters like Kunwar Singh the Poacher (who taught the young Corbett how to shinny up trees in an emergency), Mothi the Tenant Farmer, Lalajee the ruined Merchant, Sultana the Bandit Chief, and many, many others. It's obvious that the reverence in which Jim Corbett is still held does not simply pay tribute to his shooting skills, but to his affection for, and generosity toward, the Poor and Unfortunate of Northern India regardless of their Creed or Caste.
I was a fan of the great hunter (A Legend) Col. Jim Corbett. If fact I believe he was not just a man, but a symbol of Courage, Kindness and Affection. He suffers a lot of disasters just for saving human live from Men Eater Tigers.
I salute to him and prey that he may shower peace to his soul. Aamen
His books and construction of sentences are flawless - the stories are true and to perfection. His love for the poor people around him, his love for the tigers he hunted, his love for the country he left on India's independence - his house at Kaladhungi must have called him so many times in his dreams..
Reading the book Maneaters of Kumaon after recently returning from India and that area has me appreciating the incredible feats of heroism of Colonel Corbett during his times. He is nothing short of a great hero.
Reading Colonel Corbett's book on the maneaters of Kumaon has introduced me to the huge debt so many have for his ontold bravery and utter courage in tracking down and eliminating the terrible menace of maneating predators. Undoubtedly he has saved-- and avenged-- many lives. I have recently returned from the Kumaon, and will return again, this time with tribute in mind to this great hero.
I bought a copy of Man-Eaters of Kumaon for 25 cents at the Ailsa Craig ON, Canada library sale about 20 years ago. Copyright is 1946 Oxford University Press, New York, Inc. It remains one of the most riveting reads; ranking up there with Tolkien's LOTR for re-reading pleasure. I have lent this book to many friends and family over the years, and all without exception have read the book cover to cover in one or two sittings. My father-in-law is particularly fond of this book as he reads it every year when he comes to visit. He himself has published a book regarding his 3 years in the Canadian high arctic at Grise Fiord with the RCMP during the early 1950s. Although the Canadian and Indian environments are extreme opposites, the writing styles and content are similar enough that I imagine both men would have enjoyed discussing their experiences over a drink.
I hope some day to find a copy Mr. Corbett's limited red leather bound collected works to read to my own grandchildren.
I read almost all his hunting stories about 20 years ago. Such a great man who dedicated his life in saving others without caring about his own risk. I salute the Colonel.
I saw a documentary on discovery channel about Jim corbett and soon after that i was inclined to know more about him and his hunting tales.The first book I rad was "Man Eaters of Kumaon",which I finished reading in just 2 days nd was hungry to read more.So I ordered his most gripping tale of leaopard hunting "Man eating leaopard of rudraprayag".I think its one of the best hunting tales I have ever read.Then to satiate my hunger for more i bought More man eaters of kumaon.And i must confess I have read and re read all these books so many times nd still never get bored.His minute deatils of each nd evry encounter he had with man eaters nd his love for nature was phenomenal.I have always been fascinated by tigers,and thanks to jim caorbett,I know a lot about them now.
I first came across Jim Corbett in my teens, through a worn out copy of the man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag (the only book translated in Italian). Imagine my joy when almost 20 years later, and an acquired proficiency in English, I discovered his Omnibus, who has since been a close companion of mine through all walks of like. A man of incredible courage, integrity and humility, who had within himself the gift of sensing the deepest meaning at the core of the bond between Nature and mankind, and live by it. I hope and dream of meeting him one day in the Happy Hunting Grounds.
As an aside, the BBC production on the Rudraprayag leopard is shamefully awful and twisted beyond belief, the ultimate insult to Corbett's memory and endeavours.
I first learned of Jim Corbett from a BBC documentary on Man-Eaters a few years back and was fascinated then. Just this week I've read Man-Eaters of Kumaon, The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon and The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. I'm an animal lover and it was great to read about how Corbett hunted his quarry. The books were educational in terms of animal behaviour and a gripping read. It was good to know that Corbett preferred to do his shooting with a camera when he could help it, and that he always held respect for the animals he hunted. That in mind, I plan to also read other works by Jim Corbett.
I discovered Jim Corbett's books in my early teens and have loved them ever since. His love for nature and the wildlife he - regretfully at times - pursued is clear in every page. It is also clear he had a deep and abiding love for both the land and people of India. In his later years he turned to photographing and filming tigers and other wildlife. I wonder if any of his photos or movies survive . . . I would love to see them.
I had heard of Jim Corbett in schooldays as this Jim Corbett national park is not far away from my home town. One day one of my friends gave a book -Man eater of Kumaon. I started reading it and after a few passage the book took me over as events were so described that it felt as if I was with Jim Corbett and everything written was happening with me. I could feel the thrill as I proceeded with minute to minute description of events. When I neared the end of the book I slowed down the speed for I did not want to finish the book.
Now, having read all his books, It made me a wildlife enthusiastic and a nature lover.
I would like to thank Jim Corbett for not only taking me (us) through this wonderful experiences and knowledge but also for the sparking a soft corner for these beautiful animal, nature and humanity.
I CAME ACROSS THE BOOKS OF JIM CORBETT,MANY YEARS AGO.AS A YOUNG STUDENT IN A SMALL USA SCHOOL, DID NOT HAVE A GREAT READING HABIT.READING CAME HARD TO ME,AS I WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH SCHOOL,BUT..TO BE IN THE WILDS OF A GREAT FOREST.LOOKING, LISTNING, HEARING, THE SOUNDS OF THE WILD,AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE SOUNDS.A TEACHER GAVE ME THE MAN-EATERS-OF-KUMAON TO READ AND THAT WAS ALL IT TOOK.WHAT I LEARNED OF THE PATIENCE,STILLNESS,AND HEART YOU NEED TO SEE THE ANIMAL,I THINK I OWE TO JIM CORBETT.I HAVE READ EVERYTHING JIM HAS WRITTEN WITH GREAT CARE AND AWE OF SUCH A GREAT PERSON JIM WAS..I NEVER MET JIM,BUT I HOPE IN THAT GREAT JUNGLE IN THE SKY,WE'LL MEET AND SWAP STORIES,AND HAVE A GOOD LAUGH ..............THANKS JIM CORBETT FOR SOME OF MY BEST MEMORIES... JOHN SNYDER..USA
I stumbled ocross this site and I am glad I did. I knew Jim Corbett as a young lad and I am happy to say i did. He changed my life and to-day as i grow older my memories of him are fresh and the dearest I have. As a boy of course I rememebr him as a superman, but he was not, he was just a normal humble man with a great gift of seeing things as there were; he was not pretencious in any way and his love and knowlege of nature was endless. He had a great influence on my life and I am glad he did as I believe I am a better person for knowing him. He was a father and a friend to me, and now I am getting older I look forward to meeting with him once again. I am glad to see that some people have started this foundation in his memory as men like Corbett needs to be remembered.
Dear David, How wonderful to come across someone who actually knew the great man. Pls write in detail your memories, with pictures would be great too. Please write as extensive an article as possible because you are a rare breed. I am sure you will find many publishers or newspapers who would be happy to publish such an article. Certainly in India I am sure all the big national papers would be thrilled to have such an extensive piece for their weekend edition. If its long enough it could even be serialised. Please don't shorten it, the more details and description the better. Also please leave details or a link to your article here. Even better please post it on this site too. Many thanks and look forward to hearing from you, Mariyam Zaman (mayniezaman@hotmail.com)
However unappreciated Corbett may be in other parts of the world, he was always and he is still today, a legend in India, the land he loved most. There is hardly an educated Indian in our towns and cities who have not heard of Jim Corbett. That is why the Government renamed the earswhile Hailey National Park in Corbett's memory; for his contribution to Indian wildlife conservation and his genuine love of the common people he interacted with. In that respect he was so very different from the average European of that time.
Corbett's knowledge of the denizens of the forest was phenomenal. We have to remember that there were no analytical naturalists or biologists like Gearge Schaller, Ullhas Karanth, etc. at that time. Even these scholars have not negated any information regarding the characteristics of Tigers that Corbett has passed on to posterity; in fact they have even quoted him in some contexts. So, in effect, we can say that Corbett was probably the foremost expert on the Tiger of his time (though I do not wish to belittle the contributions of Champion, Burton, Dunbar-Brander et al).
I first heard about Jim Corbett sitting on my father's lap as a 6-year old. My father was his fan and had visited several of the locations where Corbett had hunted his man-eaters in, including Gulabrai and Rudraprayag. Later as I grew up, I bought all his books, including Tree Tops and read and re-read them countless times-so much so that I can retell the stories as he had written them. And yet the hunger and the fascination does not pall. Corbett's writing is so sublime and his prose so easy to follow; his descriptions of the locations, the scenery, the mountains and the valleys, the forests are like portrait paintings in words.
It is sad and it pains every Indian that Corbett left India in 1948, little realising the legend he would become in this land. He was born in 1875, just 18 years after the Sepoy Mutiny, and maybe the stories and the fear of those times resurfaced in his mind after the 1947 riots, when the nation was devided.
But my heartfelt thanks to Jerry Jaleel for deseminating so much knowledge about his life and especially for looking after his grave in Kenya, which had remained unattended and almost forgotten for a long time.
thanks for sharing. Wonderful article. What a brilliant writer Jim was.
After reading the famous stories by Corbett after many years I made a plan to visit Kaladhungi & Gurney house while on a family vacation to six places in Kumoun including Mukteshwar(Muktesar). I acclamatised my wife & daughter to the mesmerising world of Corbett & his maneaters. It was a journey back in time to good old days of the Raj and the simplicity.
I “found” Jim Corbett by his remarkable stories and books. I do not know how to pay tribute to such an extraordinary gentleman best, but to say - Thank you for everything …
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I have read all the books written by Col. Jim Corbett. i love all his books for its way of telling the story in a simple and attractive way. i do not know i have read the man-eaters of Kumaon, The man-eating leopard of rudraprayag, etc...
The moment I read his books I was reading them again. I have my own small library at home in India and I have told my mom never ever to lend those books to ANYone. I remember when I used to come from work I wouldn't even eat or drink anything, I would just go straight to my bed and grab his book and start reading. I am proud of the fact that I have all his books and they are my 'national treasure'
You are truly transported to that 1900 jungle and mountains.
Pratima, that is exactly how I feel too. You feel as if you are traveling with Jim and when the book ends you want to start reading it again, straightaway, so as not to lose your travel companion!!
I was 4 years old whem my father read man eaters of Kumaon for me. I remember sitting by the kitchen, my mother cooking and my father reading it. 35 years later my dreams came true when I visited Corbett's house in Kaladhungi and also sited the big cat in Corbett reserve. Just one wish in my life , to visit Thak, Paanr and Talla desh.
A great hunter & later conservationist , a man of undaunting courage, agreat philanthropist& a writer of adventure stories- . By the sheer weight of his genius, corbett is aphenomenon.his books display his literary skill ,&sometimes in his description of natural scenes, his empathetic feelings towards man eaters& above all, his feelings for the poor sections of the indian society , corbett scaLes poetic heights
Jim - I have read all his books and visited his house a couple of times.. i absolutely respect the good deeds he has done and the eforts he took for conservation. am planning for a trip to kenya for the 2010 great migrationm and would visit his final resting place and pay him all the respect he is due. - God bless him
Satya
I came across Corbett in high school and learned alot from him about jungle life. He is one of the greatest hunting legend of all time.
When a child growing up in Houston, Texas I came across "Man Eaters of India" and read this book from cover to cover.
I consider it to be my favorite all-time read.
In 1970, while stationed in Vietnam, I visited a library on the Bien Hoa airbase, and behold, there was the same book.
I read it again of course.
When the internet came along I was able to come up with all of his books and still read these classic tales over and over again.
Greg Buss
I was very keen to read his books, original and translation in urdu. That generated a strong liking for hilly areas which continued even when I became a microwave survey engineer in mid seventies (i.e., my late twenties). Like many goras (whites) he is loved by the people who happen to have learned about him. I rate him among the greats like Hillary, Shipton, Peary, Scott etc.
he was a man with a golden heart brave valian and compassionate may his soul rest in peace
Both my parents were part of the British community in India and my mother went to school in Naini Tal, Jim Corbetts birth place. He used to come to her school to give the girls talks on wildlife. We had a copy of his book 'Maneaters of Kumaon' on our bookshelves in England which I discovered as a boy. What an inspiration it was. It showed how truly compattible the role of hunter and conservationist can be!
I love Jim Corbett's books and there has no day when I have not read his Man eater of Kumaon and retired to sleep. It gives a feeling of ending my day in the midst of a jungle, his wonderful description of the jungle lore and the mood completely takes me away close to nature. I can see that as this happens, no wonder if I decide to leave everything and settle in one the jungles!!! Waiting for that day!
To me he is the one who changed my way of life, his books were like textbooks for me which I read & tried to find it out in practical in Jungle. I work as a Naturalist in Corbett National Park & live in Mohan where Jim shot his "Maneater of Mohan" & Respect him like a saint.
I HAVE READ AND REREAD ALL OF HIS BOOKS. AS A FELLOW HUNTER,HE CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF THE EXPERIENCE-SO MUCH MORE THAN A KILL. THE TEMPLE TIGER IS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE PICTURES OF HIS REFRESHED GRAVE AND IS ONE OF MY DREAMS TO VISIT IT.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR TRIBUTE TO JIM,HE IS ONE OF MY HEROES.
DAVID BARNES,NORTH CAROLINA,USA
10 feet 7 inches..
My grandfather was born in 'British' India (Rangoon). He had lots of books on Burma and a collection of Corbett books which he coveted (even thought they were of little intrinsic value).
He suggested I read Man-eater's of Kumaon one night whilst I was staying....I was at once transported into a dark mysterious world amid the foothills of the Himalayas...and there I remain! (well part of me) After my grandfather's passing I vowed to collect the first editions of all Jim's books in an effort to get nearer to the man!, but even this hasn't slaked my thirst. Will the obsession ever end..I hope not.
PS. Jerry you deserve a great deal of thanks for tending to the grave of this legendary yet under-appreciated man.
By the way, sorry to be pedantic but is it not 'Edward James Corbett' rather than 'James Edward'. I hope so, because my son's named after him!
Good to hear from you Slim. Why not join the Jim Corbett Foundation and extend your support. Regards, Jerry
I am sorry, but his name was Edward James Corbett. However, he liked to be called Jim (Jim) Corbett.
I have a fond memory of visiting Jim Corbett's residence while returning to Delhi from Nainital some 22 years ago. In my school days, we had a chapter or two from the books by Jim Corbett. That probably was my only acquaintence with him. However, after spending some 30 minutes at Jim Corbett's viewing all the pictures, exhibits etc, my mind become completely still, silent. I felt entrance to a realm of consciousness, and a differnet world which was unsullied by the rush of modernity. Thank you for your work to alive the memory of Jim Corbett.
Visited Gurney House in June 2009. Inside look of the house has changed with installationof big TV sets. The piano much mentioned in his books is not to be seen.
I particuluary like Jim Corbett's style of writing. Maybe it is the British "understatement" but it appeals to me. His writing is not centered around guns--as many hunters might do, but rather around the land, the animals and the people of his experiences. I have always hunted with a 7x57 (.275 in his books)--it is "just right." I do believe this man is highly under-rated perhaps in keeping with the British "understatement." I had no idea of his complete biography until this web-site. Thank you for that! BOB
I had no knowledge about Jim Corbett when I first read his "Man Eaters of Kumaon" and was impressed for the rest of my life. Most amazing for me is how many talents this man had. Of course, he was a great hunter, and he was a great anturalist who started campaigning to save a tiger earler than others (one of tiger species is named after him), and he also had a greatest writing talent, but most importantly he was a great human being, loved primarily for his greatest human heart, and trusted as very few humans had been trusted. I believe his name is very much underrated. Thanks to Jim Corbett Assiciation for all its efforts to give a justice to the memory of this great Man!
I heard about Jim Corbett national park, when I was in school but I never knew the story behind the name. But only today I watched MAN EATERS in discovery channel, I was touched by his efforts and interest to save the people in the Himalayan villages. A documentary is the best way to picturise the great people, I guess. It was very beautiful, serene,…... After the documentary was over, I surfed and got much information about him. I am also interested to read the books written by him.
We the people should prevent our natural resources. I also thank Mr.Jaleel for his immense work. May be Mr.Corbett is not with us now but his memories in India are still alive.
just finished reading MAN EATERS OF KUMAON. repenting now for not having it read in the past 24 years (excluding the first 4 years of childhood). and thanks a lot for your wonderful effort Jaleel. came across some wonderful pics of Jimmy the Gentleman.
SRC
11 years agoI think that My India is one of the greatest anthropological as well as historical saga ever penned down.