By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Nainital, 26 Jul: The 149th birth anniversary of the legendary hunter turned conservationist, Jim Corbett, was celebrated with much fanfare at the Jim Corbett Museum, Kaladhungi, on 25 July. On this occasion, Bansidhar Bhagat, MLA, Kaladhungi; Diganth Nair, DFO, Ramnagar Forest Division & Deputy Director, Corbett Tiger Reserve; along with the members of the Corbett Gram Vikas Samiti and the community of Jim Corbett Heritage Village, Chhoti Haldwani, garlanded the bust of Corbett and remembered his contribution to conservation.
The Hindi version of the guidebook on the heritage of Nainital and Kaladhungi, “Walking with Corbett”, was also released. The film, Corbett Legacy, produced by the Uttarakhand Forest Department was also screened.
It was not only at Kaladhungi that Jim Corbett was remembered. The community of Rudraprayag, under the aegis of ‘Kalash’: Lok Sanskriti Charitable Trust’, celebrated the birth anniversary of a legend who freed them from living under the shadow of a man-eater. It was in 1926 that the man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag was shot by Jim Corbett after relentless tracking of the leopard for eight long years by many others. The society remembers Jim Corbett and his contribution to the village of Rudraprayag every year on this day. A museum is shortly to be opened at this very site.
In Nainital, a book on Jim Corbett in Hindi, titled “Pahari Angraz”, authored by journalist Prayag Panday, was released. The book highlights Corbett’s contribution to the city of Nainital as a member of the municipality, amongst his other contributions to the environment.
It is very interesting to see how the memories and the contribution of Jim Corbett even after his leaving India post-independence are still alive with the people of Garhwal and Kumaon. The six books written by him have never gone out of print, and there is constant curiosity amongst filmmakers to film the sites of his encounters with man-eaters. His house in Kaladhungi, which is the site of a museum about him, and Gurney House in Nainital, where he lived (a private property) attracts visitors from the world over. The community of Chhoti Haldwani, that runs sustainable community-based tourism in Jim Corbett Heritage Village, and which was once owned by Corbett, plans to have a bigger celebration next year with more fans and friends of Jim Corbett on his 150th birth anniversary. The celebration will include heritage walks, nature walks, theatre, and puppet shows conducted and organised by the community for visitors staying in-house at their community-run homestays.
