Each work of Jim Corbett is laced with the verve of the jungle. The story of man-eater of Rudraprayag tells the tale of a tiger which stays at the place called Rudraprayag. Corbett ultimately kills the tiger. Here the tiger is the central character and the story revolves around the triumphant killing of the tiger.
Jim Corbett was born on 25th July 1875. He was an India born Irish hunter. But he created some of the unique write-ups about the jungle life as well as the wild animal. He always concentrated on the welfare of the animals. He was trusted by everyone who knew him. He always felt immense love and trust from the simple Indian villagers because of his friendly nature. So, reading these extraordinary hunting stories, is somewhat like reading a documentary story, written by one of the most trusted and honest persons. And finally, Jim Corbett was blessed with a great writing talent. It can be said that he narrated only to describe in detail his hunting experiences. As a mater of fact 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. Jim Corbett was a blend of a great hunter and naturalist. He was a great human as well as a superb writer that makes his books so appealing. Anyone who loves reading will definitely love the lucid writings of Jim Corbett.
Synopsis:
`The man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag` is another example of Corbett`s natural writing. The writer combines his knowledge of the jungle with weird hunting skills to write the best Indian adventures ever written. Reading his books is not just following a man-eater with a gun; it is also a journey into the days of the British Raj where the reader will be transported into the remote jungles of Northern India. The book is very informative about the simple people and their unsophisticated lifestyle. There are no villains; no suspicious characters lurking around and nobody to provide humour. This particular book is about one leopard, which terrorized a large region for many years and claimed about 420 lives as well. The leopard was very ferocious. Corbett is out to kill this very clever and tricky old leopard in the second half of the 1920`s. The leopard becomes a man-eater following the influenza outbreak of 1918. Corbett hunts this killer over two years. In an intense battle of nerves between the best shikari that ever was and the wily leopards, Corbett`s life hangs by a thread many times. Many a times he makes his way back to the village after a failed attempt in an experience that he terms his scariest. Another time the leopard snatches a goat right under his nose and gives him a run for his money. The author illustrates the story and describes man`s utter helplessness when a clever man-eater turns against him. At the end Corbett succeeds to kill the man-eater. In true Corbett fashion by that time he has developed a soft corner for the old dead leopard, which gave him such a sporty fight. At that time there were no high security fences, no guns or any kind of technology to track the leopard. Yet the people had to enter the forest to earn their daily bread. There is an unforgettable chapter in the book titled `Terror` which narrates very vividly about the village nightlife. This is one of the books, which shows that for writing adventure one don`t need weapons or FBI investigations. Any writer with a big heart who loves what he is doing and knows what he is talking about can give the impression of a forest or any place to its readers.
Being published by Oxford University Press, in the year of 1989, `The man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag` is a marvelous book about forest life by the unforgettable writer Jim Corbett.
`The man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag` is a story about a forest and a man-eater. Unlike others this story also take the responsibility to make the authors name dazzling. It is said that truth is stranger than fiction. And the story of Rudraprayag proves the same.