Nov 08, 2004 07:58 PM
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(Updated Nov 08, 2004 07:58 PM)
Title : Big-Hearted Gentleman
Review : I think there are few important reasons that make Jim Corbett's books so appealing: The most obvious reason, I guess, are the stories themselves. They are so extraordinarily thrilling, so gripping, and yet, so extraordinarily humane at the same time.
Corbett never tries to shock the reader with the gruesome details (although such details were naturally a part of his hunting experiences, as he was often following man-eaters tracks after they killed and eat humans). And do not expect the description of the tigers as bloodthirsty beasts in Corbett's stories. Corbett truly loves tigers, and you can feel this from all his writings.
At the end of each hunting story Corbett gives the reason of why this particular tiger became a man-eater, often remarking that it was a result of a gunshot wound that disabled the tiger to hunt it's natural pray. It was Corbett who called tiger ''a big-hearted gentleman'', and it was Corbett - one of the first true conservationists, who started campaigning for the ban on tiger hunting in the 1930s.
That's why the first National Partk of India is named after Jim Corbett, and that's why one of the sub-species of tiger - South-East Asian Tiger (the second largest population of tigers after the Bengal Tiger) is also named after Jim Corbett. Another extrememly important reason for a wide appeal of Jim Corbett's books is Jim Corbett's personality. During all his life (and even after his death) Jim Corbett was unbelievable revered for his bounless honesty and a big human heart.
He was trusted by everyone who knew him in everything. If you read his books ''My India'' or ''Jungle Lore'' you will understand the reasons of the immense love and trust he felt from the simple Indian villagers. So, reading these extraordinary hunting stories, remember that you are reading an absolutely documentary stories, written by one of the most trusted and honest persons ever to walk on our planet. And finally, Jim Corbett was blessed with a great writing talent.
You may say, that all he did was to describe in detail his hunting experiences. As a mater of fact, this is true, but doing this, Corbett often achieves such a thrill that Hichkok would be proud of. It is Corbett's writing talent that makes you feel the blood-freezing horror and the thrill of the dusk in the jungle, with the wildly roaring man-eater approaching, when Corbett decides to use his last chance and to call up the man-eater while she is looking for a mate.
To summarise, it is a blend of a Corbett as a great hunter and naturalist, Corbett as a great human, and Corbett as a a superb writer, that makes his books so appealing. The reader of this review, who have already read most of Corbett's writings, will undoubtedly agree with me, and to those who are only considering to read any of Corbett's writings for the first time (''Man-Eaters of Kumaon'' being the most popular one) I want to say that I sincerely believe that you are going to have one of your unforgetable reading experiences of your life with the book that will leave you searching for more of Corbett's writings.
