singhasam
★★★★4.0Wrote on 26 Nov 2022
Meeting one of my Heroes.
FIFTY years ago I bought a book with the snarling mask of a tiger on its cover at a village jumble sale in England. The book was the Man-Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett, a famous hunter and naturalist who risked his life on countless occasions to shoot man-eating tigers and leopards which had collectively killed more than 1,200 people in the rough period between 1907 and 1939. Over the years I added to my collection of Jim Corbett books about India and the places he loved until the time came for me to actually take a holiday in India. No such trip would be complete without a tiger safari and I was lucky enough to see three tigresses on mine. Corbett has been dead these many years, but India's first national park is named after him and I knew there was a museum about him twenty miles from where I was staying, so I arranged a special trip to go and see it. The museum is in a carefully looked after cottage and grounds where Corbett used to live and it is much like the man, straightforward and honest. If you are expecting bells and whistles, electronic multi-media, films and interactive displays then you will be disappointed for the museum is simplicity itself. A bronze of Corbett is at the entrance while inside there are a number of paintings of Corbett and wildlife, large black and white photographs of him and several more of him with the deadly tigers and leopards he killed to save the lives of countless villagers. No wonder they revered him. More personal are sections containing his original furniture, his gun cabinets, his hat, stick and even the collapsible bed he slept in when out in the jungle. There are also maps and a table of the animals he went after containing the chilling details of the huge amount of lives they took. One alone, the Champawat Man-eater, was responsible for killing 434 people. The cottage museum where Corbett lived is in a small village he himself bought when it was a hamlet in 1915. His legacy still helps to maintain and administer a site whose land he gave to its tenants. Outside visitors can wander round the sunlit grounds which are well kept and just sit and enjoy the setting Corbett himself must have enjoyed so many times. There is a 50 rupee (55 pence) entry fee to the museum which also has a small souvenir shop which does brisk business. So what could I buy to remind myself of my hero? It could really only be one thing and I walked away the proud possessor of a piece of varnished teak wood shaped into the pug marks of a tiger. As I write this it sits on the shelf of my bookcase containing all my Jim Corbett books, a fitting place for it. Don't believe some reviews which claim there is nothing much to see at the museum. There are a wealth of items and information to fascinate Corbett enthusiasts such as myself and even those who know nothing about this incredibly brave and modest man. Don't miss a chance to go and see it.
MadhulikaL4
★★★★4.0Wrote on 1 Jul 2022
In his home, a tribute to ‘Carpet’ Sahib
Jim Corbett, the famous administrator, civil servant, ex-military officer and famous hunter/naturalist built this cottage in 1922 and lived here many years along with his sister Maggie. Although Corbett left India in 1948 and moved to Kenya, the house (which he had sold) was later acquired by the Indian government and turned into a museum to the memory of Corbett and all that he did for the people of Kumaon, in particular. Entry fee is Rs 10 per Indian of age five years and above. The single-storied building has, at the main door, a bust of Corbett, along with details of this building, and the 'Chhoti Haldwani' village he set up as a model village around here. You have to take off your shoes to enter the galleries inside, which showcase Corbett: his family, his associates (including the loyal Bahadur, who was his constant helper on numerous hunts and expeditions), his work, and of course some details of the many maneaters he killed. There are photographs, reproductions of letters, and even some interesting artefacts - a sedan chair, sola topee, heavy porcelain, and several articles of furniture made by Corbett himself. This is a small but interesting museum, an example of a heritage building being put to good use. The toilets, in an annexe to the building, are rather dark and dirty, but otherwise the grounds surrounding the museum are picturesque, with flowers, trees and butterflies. A well-stocked souvenir shop just near the gate sells a range of Kumaoni products, including jams, juices, pickles, organic grains and other plant products, as well as wildlife-related souvenirs, such as t-shirts, camouflage jackets, hats, and so on.
