Jim Corbett was a remarkable man, and deserves every honour we can bestow on him

I do not believe in changing the names of roads, airports, stadiums or any other institution of importance. I do not believe in naming anything at all after political leaders since, first, they do not deserve it and even if they do, there are other ways to appreciate them. We are masters at tampering with history, and changing names has become an art form for promoting the absurd. The poor political leadership of this country and their bureaucratic enablers seem to have nothing better to do.

Thankfully, Jim Corbett National Park will not be renamed. The Uttarakhand government on Thursday clarified that it has neither received any proposal nor was in favour of changing the name to Ramganga National Park. State Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat told News18 that Corbett was just not a name albeit a “national pride”.

The debate over renaming Corbett National Park took off after Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union minister of state for forest and environment, visited the park on 3 October and mentioned Corbett as Ramganga National Park in the visitors’ book.

In 1936, Corbett became India’s first National Park. Named Hailey National Park by the British who ruled India, its name was changed in 1954 after Independence to Ramganga National Park and again changed in 1956 to Jim Corbett National Park. Why Jim Corbett? Because Corbett was a remarkable man. He shot tigers and especially man-eaters who he tracked on foot. He was a master of the language of the wild and his expertise was legendary. Every track and sound in this forest was assessed by him and he is one of the few who could think like the tiger he followed. His books were read by one and all. In fact millions grew up on his books. More than all this, he loved the tiger and these spectacular forests. His last years in this region were spent photographing and filming wild tigers and one of his archival clips even recorded a white tiger.

It was on 1 April, 1973, that Project Tiger was launched in Jim Corbett National Park in an effort to save the dwindling population of tigers in India. This entire effort was spearheaded by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Today 51 Project Tiger Reserves dot our country. The wild tigers of India are for the moment safe.

As stated earlier, I do not like naming and renaming anything after people who are politicians. Corbett was a tiger man who was exceptional in his capacity to understand tigers. He fully deserves the honour that a place he worked in has been named after him. There is no one else even in India today who could deserve such an honour. What I say is a fact, not fiction.

The Corbett National Park is now a deep part of our history and no one should fiddle with it. Our political leaders, instead of creating controversies about their names, must try solving the problems of our tiger reserves. Wildlife governance is at its lowest ebb, both at the Central and state government levels. The Prime Minister has not held a meeting of the National Board for Wildlife for seven years. It is supposed to be held twice a year. The Chief Minister’s of many states are following the same path and the State Boards of Wildlife are rarely convened. Political will for wildlife is at its lowest. Few care.

There is little reform in the Indian Forest Services and few deal with the problems of forest guards or the Wildlife they protect. The tigers of Corbett National Park want you to govern creatively. They want you to stop poachers and encroachers of forest land and stem the rot of illegal mining. They are not interested in ridiculous political leaders attempting to spend their energy on renaming games.

Let me end with one of Corbett’s memorable quotes: “The book of nature has no beginning, as it has no end. Open the book where you will, and at any period of your life, and if you have the desire to acquire knowledge you will find it of intense interest, and no matter how long or how intently you study the pages, your interest will not flag, for in nature there is no finality.”

Great words from an amazing man who deserves every honour we can give him. Thankfully, the clarification has come: That the name of Jim Corbett National Park won’t change.

The writer is a noted naturalist, conservationist and writer. Views expressed are personal.

Read the counterargument here: Corbett Park name change controversy blown out of proportion, it’s conservation that matters