Introduction:
One of the most memorable faces of the British rule in India, Jim Corbett to most Indians meant more just a naturalist. Famous as the "sahib", Corbett was an Englishman born during the era of colonization in India. The eighth child of Christopher and Mary Jane Corbett, Jim as he was christened, was born in the picturesque hill station of Nainital, nestled amidst the serene locales of the province of present day Uttaranchal. His academic career began at the Oak Openings School, a renowned school of Nainital, after which he went on to complete his higher education at the prestigious institute of St. Joseph's College in Nainital. His professional life began when he joined as a fuel inspector of the Bengal and North Western Railway, with an initial posting at Manakpur in the Punjab.
Best known for his hunting capacities, Jim Corbett was renowned for exhibiting utmost courage in his endeavors at shooting countless man-eater leopards and tigers, all around the Kumayon region. He however, strictly followed a golden rule, whereby he refused to kill innocent animals, unless they posed a danger to the inhabitants of the villages of Kumayon, by becoming man-eaters. Famous for the numerous books he had written on the subjects of naturalism and eco-conservation, Jim Corbett has been made immortal through his works like the Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944), The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag and the Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1954). Jungle Lore, written by Corbett is considered to be one of the most notable autobiographical works in English Literature.
However, perhaps the greatest claim to fame for Jim Corbett lies in the Corbett National Park, one of the premier wild life sanctuaries of India. Then named after Lord Malcolm Hailey as the Hailey Park and renamed later, the Corbett National Park is one of the most important tourist destinations of India.
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