Tracking Jim: A Hunt in Corbett Country by Gupta Prosenjit Das (2005-03-30) Paperback

by Prosenjit Das Gupta

Legendary hunter, gifted raconteur, a man who understood every nuance of the jungles of Kuaon and whom the people of the region considered a benefactor and 'saviour'. That is Jim Corbett. What few know is that Corbett shot his first man eater when he was ten and his tenth 53 years later; survived without food for over sixty hours while tracking his quarry; shot a ferocious tiger from a distance of a few feet; gradually transformed from a hunter wielding a rifle to one of the first conservationists of wildlife in India and that his photographs and films of the jungles find pride of place in the Natural History Museum in London. An ardent admirer of Corbett from his childhood and a keen a naturalist in his own right, Prosenjit Das Gupta read and reread Corbett's writings till he could no longer resist the lure of discovering Corbett and his country for himself. Following in his footsteps, Das Gupta explored every area in Nainital and the Kumaon hills that Corbett mentions in his writings, visited the sites where the hunter shot his man-eaters, spoke to people who had known him and, enthused by his experiences, launched into further, serious research of every aspect of the life and personality of his boyhood hero. The result is a fascinating book that unravels with sincerity and insight the lesser-known facets of Corbett, a man who was just as opinionated and patronizing as he was generous and considerated.

Unknown Binding

First published March 30, 2005

Reviews

[Susan Sharma]

Tracking Jim -A book reading
https://youtu.be/G-ykdmXJ5AE

[Simran Buttar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author tried to track the routes that Jim Corbett took on his famous outings while in Kumaon. But the issue is he never completed most of the trails due to one or other reasons. There is ton of information on how to get to certain village that Jim has mentioned during his hunting years, few year back this would have had been invaluable information but with high resolution 3d Google maps available of the area it is fairly easy to understand the routes and trails.
Another issue is that the author traveled to Kumaon numerous times between 1980 and 2005 (when this book was published)but in his writing it is not explicit on what areas he visited in what years and if the information he provided will still be valid.
Overall this is an ok read with insight into various trails and routes followed by Jim during early 20th century.