In the early 20th century when the hills of Kumaon echoed with the bone-chilling roar of a man-eating tiger, it was the sure shot hunter, 'Carpet Sahib' who went to put an end to the terror. But what was often missed was the intense sorrow he felt when one of these magnificent creatures had to be shot down.Jim Corbett understood the tiger and respected it. He recognised its irreplaceable place in the circle of life and described it as the 'large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage'.Amar Chitra Katha tells the story of Jim Corbett and traces his life and love for one of India's most valuable and endangered animals.
Amar Chitra Katha - Jim Corbett by Tripti Nainwal.
Jim Corbett has been on my mind for the last one week as I have been reading "Man-Eaters of Kumaon". The more I read that book, the more I wanted to know about the man's life. Thankfully, I had this issue of the Amar Chitra Katha which gives a very good insight into the life and times of Edward James Corbett; albeit in comic book form.
The story begins from his formative years, where we see a young Jim growing up in the small town of Nainital in British India and learning about the value of nature and conservation from his elder brother, Tom. Jim observes animals in the forest very closely and picks up on their myriad traits. He is fascinated with the flaura and fauna around him and begins to empathize with them.
As he grows up, he works for the railways and even serves Britain during the first World War. In all this time, however, Jim's love for nature and animals grows manifold. He adopts a village, ensures that there are enough trees in it for the wildlife to survive and also regularly goes out of his way to help the people in his region. He is shown to have a very gentle heart and that makes him extremely popular among the village folks in his area who fondly begin to call him "Carpet Sahib".
Jim is shown to be very active in raising his voice for tiger conservation in his time and even held classes in schools to help raise awareness on the issue for children.
One of the most attractive bits of the book for me was the part where Jim hunts the Champawat Man-eater. As I had just read the story last week, seeing it come alive in comic form, and so magnificently, was simply fantastic.The book also covers Jim's last ever hunt - killing the Thak man-eater which is also presented incredibly well.
The theme of Jim's love for animals and nature conservation runs throughout the book. Even when he kills the man-eating tigers, Jim is shown to lament it and keeps stressing on the dangers of destroying the environment. He also adopts the role of a wildlife filmmaker and uses unique ways to capture the beauty of wildlife and screen it for small gatherings.
I cannot vouch for the veracity of the facts depicted in the book, though. I would have to read more on the man to confirm it.
Overall, this was a solid and short biography on Jim Corbett - perfect for Corbett and ACK fans. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and the text is solid. This is my first experience with the new Amar Chitra Katha series - I had been vociferously shunning it after the demise of Uncle Pai and Ram Waeerkar. And I must say, I am thoroughly impressed. I think I will try a few more from the new lot.
This book has also compelled me to get Corbett's actual biography which I will get hold of next.
I have been lately into reading ACK titles and came across this one. It is a fine illustration on the life of the great Jim Corbett. Good and modern illustrations reminiscent of superhero comics.
A beautiful book. We get to know this great man through some vivid images. Also the contribution he made beyond killing all those man eaters is beautifully illustrated. Highly recommended
A trip to Wildlife !! I owe a lot to Amar Chitra Katha books to introduce me to Jim Corbett. A beautifully illustrated book on life of hunter Jim Corbett who hunted several ferocious man eaters in Kumaon region. It is a treat reading this book on wild life. Most of all, it is story of a humble boy who grew on to become the legendary hunter. From his journey as a officer in railways in Mokameh Ghat, Bihar to his reputation as a daring hunter are well scripted and pictured by Amar Chitra Katha Book. Especially the encounter with Champavat tiger was Corbett's bigggest challenge. He later hunted several man-eaters and leopards. To get a short summary of Jim Corbett's life, you have to read Amar Chitra Katha's book dedicated to Corbett. I highly recommend everyone to later read 'Man-eaters of Kumaon' penned by Jim Corbett.
As a child always loved ACK comics and when realised they were part of Kindle Unlimited was all the more delighted. My reason for choosing this title to read was personal - my better half is an ardent lover of anything to do with tigers. This little book proved my hunch right. It was interesting and insightful. I appreciate the artists and story writers effort in capturing the essence of Corbett's life through these frames.
I'm picking up an Amar Chitra Katha after 15 years and my glad I did. I was genuinely unaware of why Corbett Park was named as the namesake . It takes you to the time when Indian forests actually had animals and surprisingly this time was not so long ago. A great read for kids and unaware adults like myself