Jim Corbett Research Competition Committee received three submissions:
(1) Richard Allen’s Google Earth presentation, based on Champawat story; (2) Shaz Syed’s documentary film “In the Footsteps of Jim Corbett” based again on Champawat story; (3) Vandana Abhade’s research paper on the timelines and the killing date of the Panar man-eating leopard. The Jim Corbett Research Prize Competition Jury consisted of five members, three members from the Jim Corbett International Research Group, and two invited independent members, internationally renowned researchers on Jim Corbett. As one of the five members of the Jury (and a member of Jim Corbett International Research Group) was in direct contact with the authors of all three submissions while they were preparing submissions, he proposed that he was not going to take part in voting. His proposition was accepted, so the Jury verdict below reflects the assessment of four Jury members, two members of Jim Corbett International Research Group and two invited internationally renowned Corbett researchers. The members of Jim Corbett Research Competition Jury agree, that all three submissions were done on a high level, and want to congratulate the authors of these submissions for advancing our understanding of Jim Corbett's legacy. Interestingly, all three submissions were done in different formats, the first one as a Google Earth Presentation, the second one as a film-documentary, and the third one as a more traditional research paper. The Jim Corbett Research Competition Jury members had detailed discussions on each of the presentations, their strong and weak points. Let us introduce all three of them with very brief general comments: RICHARD ALLEN, a Western Australian partly retired expert of the travel agency, nature lover and keen hiker, submitted a Google Earth presentation on the Champawat story. His Google Earth presentation is well done and a pleasure to watch; he clearly has the mastery of the tool. We, the members of the Committee, have no problem with the concept of legitimate investigation being done using the medium of Google Earth: rotating a view of the landscape and calculating distances overland has the potential to be very illuminating, both to support or to undermine a theory. At the same time, we need to remember that Google Earth in itself is just a tool, not a result. If you do not use it to investigate, you are not investigating! In his submission cover letter, Richard himself is honest and insightful about what he has done, and what he has not done: “I do not make any claim for original research as I have merely taken the work of others and presented it in a new and digestible format.” Exactly right. He has –– very skilfully –– made a visual summary of the rival claims (Jim Corbett International Research Group research results versus Quinton Ottley’s research results). He has found nothing new, he has given no argument to tilt the viewer’s support toward one theory or the other. (Whereas we can imagine good work being done using Google Earth could indicate that some claims, about a kill site, or a bungalow, are unrealistic or implausible.). Also, Richard presents many of the locations on his map with question marks: “pool where ravines meet?” “area of rocks?” –– maybe yes, or maybe not! But what are the arguments for or against this place or that? The viewer’s understanding is not advanced. In short, as Richard himself is gracefully the first to admit, this is not research. It is synthesis and packaging. Very skilful and attractive packaging –– and very valuable in order to reach a wider popular audience. The packaging is very important –– but we are judging a research contest. SHAZ SYED, a young Indian professional filmmaker, presented a 17-minute film-documentary mostly based on Champawat man-eater final moments. We all (Jury members) were extremely impressed by the film, and we probably should mention that our Committee included a professional filmmaker. Shaz’s camera work is professional, the pace is lively, the effects are witty, the animation scenes are clever and informative, his presence on-camera and in voice-over is charming, and he does an excellent job with a potentially confusing aspect of his story, which is to explain that he went to Champawat twice. Shaz makes an outstanding ambassador and communicator for Corbett enthusiasts, and that is very valuable. The Jury believes that this film seriously deserves a wider audience and we will try to assist him in reaching a wider audience. The only critique is that the film is based on following the research results of the book “Behind Jim Corbett’s Stories” with a limited element of original research, which was the central aim of the Jim Corbett Research Competition. Members of our group are already discussing a suggestion to support Shaz’s passion for Corbett, creative talent, and high professionalism for the benefit of the Corbett Universe. VANDANA ABHADE, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Mumbai, currently is a homemaker of a family with a husband and two daughters in Mumbai. She submitted a research paper on the timelines of Panar story. Her research paper is elegant, clear, and well-reasoned. Her use of sunset and moonrise tables is ingenious and original, and a real contribution to Corbett studies –– valuable beyond the scope of this paper alone, because Corbett himself so often mentions the state of the moon. This is probably what we need to do as Corbett researchers: to reread other Corbett accounts with a new awareness that his descriptions can be cross-checked with moon tables. She is careful to lay out in detail her accounting for the hours from the time of Corbett getting ready to the time of the kill, rather than just asserting some total time span without explaining her reasoning. We don’t say that she seems always right (particularly the details of timing are sometimes controversial), but she advances a concrete argument and makes specific claims, so important for research results. Likewise, we can debate the notion of the “third quarter” that Corbett uses for the Moon phases. But again, Vandana makes concrete specific claims that are both original and grounded in objective sources: as a result, the submitted project is valuable research with a substance. In other words, she might be wrong in her details, but in the future, any Corbett scholar intending to present a Panar timeline that differs from Vandana’s will have to address her findings and do some serious work to refute her. That seems to us to be the essence of a valuable contribution to the field: she has added a significant and original brick to the structure of Corbett Studies. Final results of the Inaugural 2020 Jim Corbett Research Prize Competition are as follows: First Prize: Vandana Abhade, for the research paper, based on Panar man-eating leopard story Second Prize: Shaz Syed, for the film-documentary “In the Footsteps of Jim Corbett” Third Prize: Richard Allen, for the Google Earth Presentation based on Champawat Story All three winners, apart from the announced earlier Prize Money will receive a hard copy of the book “Behind Jim Corbett’s Stories” Vol 2. We want to congratulate all the winners and thank them for their very valuable input in further study of the legacy of Jim Corbett. 2020 Jim Corbett Research Competition Jury
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Hello Corbett Fans, On this occasion of the 65th death anniversary of Jim Corbett, we are greatly honoured and privileged to present a gift to you all: The .pdf E-BOOK version of the 2nd Volume of "Behind Jim Corbett's Stories" is finally here and available for FREE DOWNLOAD!!! We sincerely hope you have enjoyed the first volume which was published in 2016, and following our trend of continuous research, this second attempt has been made in a spirit to suit each and every taste of Corbett fans for his stories. This Second Volume of "Behind Jim Corbett's Stories" bring Jim Corbett's stories to life again. It's reading will literally carry you into Corbett's Universe: his hunting grounds, his playing ground as a kid, his relatives and family, his writings, his friends and acquaintances up to his final homestead, in Kenya. Whatever left you craving for more after reading each Corbett book is provided here in this Second Volume: new materials, untold and unpublished writings, new facts and tidbits, unseen photos, new research theories and scholarly explanations and the most recent discoveries of the places described in his hunting narratives, and much more...
We thank you for your patience in waiting for the official release of "Behind Jim Corbett's Stories" - Volume 2. Here you go: Click HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD, https://tinyurl.com/r5a5devv and enjoy... Let us all hope that in all our comments and discussions on our FB discussion page we will all try to follow the guiding principles of scholarly arguments and discussions. |