A Graphic Hunt

Built in 1870,the colonial Gurney House stands on Ayarpatta hill,with an estate spread over nearly 1.7 acres of land. The Corbetts sold it to Dalmia’s grandparents Sharda Prasad and his wife,Kalavati Varma in 1947 for a sum of Rs 55,000. In 2006,Dalmia chose to preserve the prime estate instead of converting it into a modern cottage or selling it off to the government,like most other owners in the area. To add to her commitment,she has been celebrating Corbett’s birthday at Gurney House as a literary event for the last few years. It began in 2008 when actor Tom Alter visited Gurney House and read from Corbett’s books. A slew of interested authors like Namita Gokhale,Rana Dasgupta and Namita Devidayal followed suit. “This year,I went a step further and teamed up with Amar Chitra Katha. I heard they were planning to come up with a comic book based on Corbett and thought if a graphic novel on Corbett’s life has to be launched,what better place than in his own house?” she said.

Jim’s graphic biography traces his life during his hunting years from the time he held his first gun at six to his demise in Kenya in 1955. “It brings out the dichotomies in Corbett’s personality — he was a hunter who loved animals,” said script writer Tripti Nainwal,who researched him intensively for a year. The book brings out some unheard aspects of Corbett’s life — how he started going into the jungles with a cushion instead of a gun in his later years when he realised that it was wrong to kill animals. “A forgotten aspect of Jim’s personality is that he was a celebrated writer whose works our children must read,” said Reena Puri,editor of Amar Chitra Katha,at the launch event where renowned author and journalist Mrinal Pande was the guest of honour. A number of school children from Nainital thronged the event.

Gurney House is indeed full of memories. For instance,the moment you cross over the threshold,you walk across the skin of a leopard shot by Jim many years ago. Numerous reminders of Jim and Maggie linger in every nook and cranny of this English cottage — in the deer antlers adorning the drawing room walls or the crockery lining the shelves,even in Maggie’s hand embroidered upholstery on chairs. “I have tried to restore this home of a legend but without spoiling its charm,” says Dalmia.

It is an amar katha alright,with many pictorial memories.

(The reporter was a guest of the Gurney House)