“A Deed of Bravery” by Jim Corbett Jim

“A Deed of Bravery” by Jim Corbett
Jim Corbett’s short story A Deed of Bravery deals with the heroic deeds of survival against all odds. Two protagonists of the story – Haria and Narwa had to survive against a circumstance which seems all about too much hardships. To collect bamboos for basket making, they have to travel long distance on foot to the forest where tigers are frequent. In one of such journey, Narwa get attacked by a tiger and Haria saves him with extreme bravery. Next comes Narwa’s fight against odds to survive after the tiger attack. Jim Corbett found this story an act of great bravery and thought about sharing it with his readers so as to make these characters immortal through his words. In the unit, we will deal with the story in as much as detailed way as possible. We will start with a little biographical details of the author Jim Corbett and then we will discuss the story in short, before moving on to critically appreciation the story to come up with the varied themes that the story deals with.
About Jim Corbett (1875-1955): is a very common name in India and there are many who are aware of his writings. Jim Corbett was a lieutenant-colonel of the British officers serving in India and had an illustrious career in India in terms of training people in jungle warfare and ways of Indian jungles. Usually, British officers serving in India were not seen in a positive light by us as most of the officers were cruel to the natives and did not concern themselves with the well-being of the native people. Their concern was primarily to look after the interests of the colonial administration and consequently they were perceived by us as some kind of oppressors. But the picture of Jim Corbett is not that of a typical British Officer posted in Colonial India as his concern and knowledge about the Indian jungles and people living there made him be loved by many Indians. Jim Corbett’s writings on maneating tigers of India are popular throughout the world, especially Man Eaters of Kumaon and Man Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. Apart from being a colonial officer, Jim Corbett was also an excellent writer who had a natural flair for writing. In the piece of writing that is prescribed in our syllabus A Deed of Bravery (which is taken from his writing My India) Jim Corbett shows how a piece of writing can be made interesting with simplicity of expression. The narrative style of Jim Corbett is also fascinating as he gives biographical details about his own experience.
Short Summary: Jim Corbett’s short story A Deed of Bravery deals with the heroic deeds of survival against all odds. Jim Corbett (1875-1955) is a very common name in India and there are many who are aware of his writings. Jim Corbett was a lieutenant-colonel of the British officers serving in India and had an illustrious career in India in terms of training people in jungle warfare and ways of Indian jungles. Narwa and Haria considered themselves as ‘blood brothers’ who were born and lived in a tiny village near Almora. They were basket makers by profession. On 26December 1939, Narwa and Haria set out to the bazaar at Kaladhungi to get a license from the forest guard to collect a head load of bamboo. Haria was leading among the two and Narwa was following him when suddenly Haria heard an angry roar of a tiger and a shriek of Narwa. After hearing the roar of the tiger, Haria finds Narwa lying on his back on the ground and a tiger lying diagonally across him. Haria took hold of the two feet of Narwa and started pulling him away from under the tiger. As he was able to save Narwa from the tiger, he eventually got him to Nalni with his superhuman efforts. The author mentions that ‘Of all the deeds that
I have witnessed, or that I have read or heard about, I count Haria’s rescue of Narwa the greatest. Unarmed and alone in a great expanse of jungle, to respond to the cry of a companion in distress and to pull that companion away from an angry tiger that was lying on him, and then to drag and carry that companion for two miles up a steep hill to a place of safety, not knowing but that the tiger was following, needed a degree of courage that is given to few, and that any man could envy.’ Jim Corbett in A Deed of Bravery deals with significant characters – Narwa and Haria who consider themselves as ‘blood brothers’. These two characters present an excellent example of bravery which makes Jim Corbett narrate about them in his story. Friendship is a very significant theme in the story A Deed of Bravery written by Jim Corbett. Corbett portrays the friendship between Narwa and Haria in as much details as possible. In the short story, Jim Corbett shows how his protagonists belong to the caste of the untouchables. They are basket-makers and basket making is a job of an untouchable.  Jim Corbett to point out how the lives of common people in India, especially those livings on the foothills of the Himalayas, are full of suffering and hardships
Full Summary: Narwa and Haria considered themselves as ‘blood brothers’ who were born and lived in a tiny village near Almora. They were basket makers by profession. In summer months, they worked in their village, while in winter months they went to Kaladhungi where there is a great demand for huge baskets. They used to collect bamboos from the Government Reserved Forest near Kaladhungi to make the baskets. On 26 December 1939, Narwa and Haria set out to the bazaar at Kaladhungi to get a license from the forest guard to collect a head load of bamboo. As they are on their way they came to a place of trees and grass jungle which is also frequented by many wild animals including tigers. Haria was leading among the two and Narwa was following him when suddenly Haria heard an angry roar of a tiger and the shriek of Narwa. Haria turns around, sees Narwa lying on his back on the ground and a tiger lying diagonally across him. Haria then takes hold of the two feet of Narwa and starts pulling him away from under the tiger. He is able to save Narwa from the tiger, and eventually gets him to Nalni with his superhuman efforts. The tiger had badly crashed the bones of Narwa’s shoulder and lacerated his flesh. When they reach Nalni, Maggie wrote to the Assistant Surgeon, the incharge of Kaladhungi hospital, to attend Narwa. Jim Corbett, the author was out shooting birds; so when he came back in the evening, Maggie told him all about Narwa and how he was attacked by a tiger. Next morning when the author visits the hospital, the doctor inform him that he has done all he could and had sent him home after treatment and that there is very little chance of his recovery. So the author rushes to the communal hut (where twenty families were living together) to meet Narwa and finds Narwa lying in a corner on a bed of straw and leaves and his wounds showing signs of getting septic. For a week, Narwa is in the hut’s corner, looked over by his weeping wife and Haria as well as his other friends. It seems clear to the author that Narwa’s wounds need to be opened up and cleaned in order to avoid becoming septic, so the author takes him to the hospital. The young doctor does his job brilliantly and for three month the treatment continues after which Narwa along with his wife and children and Haria go back to their village near Almora. The author then mentions that: Of all the deeds that I have witnessed, or that I have read or heard about, I count Haria’s rescue of Narwa the greatest. Unarmed and alone in a great expanse of jungle, to respond to the cry of a companion in distress and to pull that companion away from an angry tiger that was lying on him, and then to drag and carry that companion for two miles up a steep hill to a place of safety, not knowing but that the tiger was following, needed a degree of courage that is given to few, and that any man could envy. The author therefore wanted Haria’s brave act and
Narwa’s heroism in surviving all odds to be acknowledged by a certificate of merit by the government but for that the truth had to be sworn in by ‘independent and unbiased eyewitnesses’ which were lacking in this case. He even wanted to appeal to His Majesty the King; but as the World War had just started the king was busy with much greater affairs.
A Deed of Bravery by Jim Corbett is an intense short story about two untouchable young men who fought a tiger and other adversities to emerge victorious. The author Jim Corbett is all praise for these two people – Haria and Narwa. In the following section, we will be dealing with different aspects of the short story – Brave Acts of Haria and Narwa Jim Corbett in A Deed of Bravery deals with significant characters – Narwa and Haria who consider themselves as ‘blood brothers’. These two characters present an excellent example of bravery which makes Jim Corbett narrate about them in his story. The act of bravery involves the following – on 26December 1939, when Narwa and Haria were going to Nalni Reserved Forests to get ‘two headload of bamboos’ to make basket, Narwa was attacked by a tiger. When Haria heard the angry roar of a tiger and simultaneously a shriek of Narwa, he figured out that at the edge of the grass ‘Narwa was on his back with a tiger lying diagonally across him.’ instead of panicking and running away from the scene, Haria pulled Narwa away from the tiger and then took badly injured Narwa to the hospital to get himself treated. The author says – Of all the deeds that I have witnessed, or that I have read or heard about, I count Haria’s rescue of Nrwa the greatest. Unarmed and alone in a great expanse of jungle, to respond to the cry of a companion in distress and to pull that companion away from an angry tiger that was lying on him, and then to drag and carry that companion for two miles up a steep hill to a place of safety, not knowing but that the tiger was following, needed a degree of courage that is given to few, and that any man could envy. It is to be understood here that apparently it seems very easy to speak about such an act, but to do something like that in reality is a herculean task for two reasons– (a) To be trailing in the forest which is frequented by tigers is itself an act of brave job which Haria and Narwa have to do for their livelihood. Then over it to survive an attack of a tiger is another great act of bravery. Braver is the act of Haria who instead of being fearful of the situation, tries to help his friend with all his might so that he can save him from the lashes of the tiger. (b) Not only saving a friend from the grasp of a tiger is significant but to carry the injured person through such rough and dangerous terrain to the town to get himself treated is also another act of bravery when there is always a chance that the tiger might come back and attack once again. These acts of bravery made the author, Jim Corbett, take note of the incident when he heard about it and go and meet Haria and Narwa, as well as get Narwa get proper treatment so that his life can be saved.
Jim Corbett writes at the end of the story A Deed of Bravery– I should have liked to have been able to end my story by telling you that Haria’s brave act, and Narwa’s heroic fight for life against great odds, had been acknowledged by a certificate of merit, or some small token of award, for both were poor men. Unfortunately red tape proved too much for me, for the Government were not willing to make any award in a case of which the truth could not be sworn to by independent and unbiased witnesses. … For many days I toyed with the idea of appealing to His Majesty the King, but with a world war starting and all it implied I very reluctantly abandoned the idea. These last few lines of the story refers to many things – (a) Firstly, in our world, brave acts are those which are acknowledged by government and known to the people through different means – either by reporting in newspapers or other media or something else similar to it. So people always look for avenues from where certain acknowledgement of bravery could be attested so that people come to know about it. So the author Jim Corbett is also looking for avenues so that the brave deeds of Haria and Narwa are somehow acknowledged and some
kind of recognition. (b) Secondly, the red tape is so much inscribed in the ways of our governmental machinery that no proper deeds can be achieved because of it. In case of Narwa and Haria, they performed brave acts, but without witnesses their acts lose all meaning with the government. Government just wants witnesses – without witnesses government won’t accept any truth as truth. To prove a truth to be truth in the governmental mechanism there is always a procedure and most times greatest of the truths are lost in those procedural lapses. The story of Haria and Narwa will always remain far away from the governmental records because of the lack of witnesses and they and their stories will never come to light if people like Jim Corbett are not there to let the world know about these kinds of brave acts. (c) Thirdly, 1939 is the time when the Second World War was just beginning. War is the thing which made Jim Corbett not appeal to His Majesty the King of England. One has to remember that the time that Jim Corbett is talking about it when England was ruling over India, so the head of the state was the King of England. What Jim Corbett wants to present in the story is that the King of England would have given some kind of recognition to the brave acts of Haria and Narwa if it was not the time of World War. Though this is wishful thinking, but still it shows that when nations are preoccupied with Wars such as the World Wars, they forget to recognize some acts of courageous deeds such as that of Haria and Narwa. These small acts of bravery are much more significant than the heroism in war; these small acts of bravery are some things which tell us that the world is still a place where people achieve great things everyday even if they are not recognized. (d) Fourthly, Jim Corbett may ‘reluctantly abandon’ the idea of appealing to His Majesty the King, but he did a greater job than that by capturing the brave acts through his words in a short story. People might have not come to know about Haria and Narwa even if the King had awarded them with something, but the author did a greater job than that as he made the brave acts of Haria and Narwa become immortal in his short story. Thus the ending of the story is very significant and it points to many things that the author presently indirectly in the story. Theme of Friendship Friendship is a very significant theme in the story A Deed of Bravery written by Jim Corbett. Corbett portrays the friendship between Narwa and Haria in as much details as possible. Friendship is a bond which many of us share with our friends and each one of us defines friendship in our own ways. It is a beautiful feeling for some, it is a shared bonding for others, and it is a feeling of brotherhood or sisterhood. In the story A Deed of Bravery Jim Corbett presents Haria and Narwa to be ‘blood brothers.’ They are not related but they feel that they are more than brothers and they therefore stick together. In their childhood they were playmates and as they grew up they took the same profession of basket-making which made them stick to each other all the time. So they go to forest together to collect Bamboos for making baskets and sell them. They have figured out that are not only meant for each other but also dependent on each other in more than one ways so to live life. Their livelihood being the same, it is a great boon for them that they can stick to each other. But their friendship passes the ultimate test when Narwa is attacked by a tiger and Haria instead of running from the scene in fear, faces the situation bravely and saves Narwa from the tiger. Any other person probably in such a situation would have tried to save himself; but Haria did not so; as he knows that saving his friend is more significant than just running away with one’s own life. Haria shows that he can face adversity when the friend is in peril. Moreover, the way Haria carries Narwa for his treatment to the nearby town only shows that he has a deep concern for his friend. It is a story of unusual friendship – a friendship which had passed the test of time and adversity to prove that friendship is all about when one feels and cares for the friend more than one’s own live. This story is probably one of the greatest examples of literature and in life about friendship.
Untouchability and Poverty Untouchability is an anathema to Indian society; it is like a stigma which has created a lot of sufferings to those people who are considered to be untouchables by the Indian Brahminical caste system. Since ages, caste system has remained been one of the exclusive characteristics of the Hindu social system. Caste system divides people into inferior and superior castes and provides them lower and higher statuses respectively. It divides the Hindu society into five major castes –, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras and Anti- Shudras or untouchables. These castes have been arranged in a hierarchical social order with the Brahmins at the top followed by the Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras and Ati- Shudras or untouchables. Within each of these five major caste groups, there are innumerable sub-castes placed one over the other. It is a general notion that nobody can change one’s caste from the one in which he or she is born. Caste was associated with a particular occupation which determined the social and economic status of its members. While the Brahmins were thought to be the priests, teacher and advisors, the Kshatriyas were regarded as warriors or protectors or rulers. The Vaishyas were considered as traders, and the Shudras as cultivators and manual labourers. The untouchables were given the filthy menial and defiling occupations, such as sweeping, scavenging, removing night soil, etc. It is also believed that changing occupations from the given one was difficult and was often discouraged. In the short story A Deed of Bravery Jim Corbett shows how his protagonists belong to the caste of the untouchables. They are basket-makers and basket making is a job of an untouchable. So even if Haria and Narwa wanted to change their jobs and take up something else they won’t be allowed to do so as Indian Caste system did not allow then the choice of changing professions. In such circumstances, these people are doomed to live a life of ignominy, suffering, neglect and hardships. Throughout the short story Jim Corbett makes every attempt to show the lives of Narwa and Haria in details so that we can understand the hardships that these people have to go through as they belong to a particular caste called untouchables. In the next section we will be talking about the hardships of their (Haria’s and Narwa’s) lives in detail to understand what they have to go through in order to have a living. Life of Hardship Narwa and Haria live a life of immense hardships. They somehow survive by making baskets and selling them. For six months they stay in their village and for the winter months they are in Kaladhungi, buying bamboos from the Government Reserved Forests and making baskets and selling them. They live in a communal hut in Kaladhungi in which about twenty families stay together which shows that they do not have even enough to have a proper living. When Narwa is injured and living in this hut he is shown to be lying on a bed of leaves and straw which tells us the financial state of these people. Narwa and Haria had to go across many miles on foot to get the license for collecting bamboos and they had to go through jungles where Narwa is attacked by a tiger. Somehow because of the brave act of Haria, Narwa is saved from the tiger and is being carried to a safe distance, but Narwa does not get proper medication in the hospital as he is very poor and does not have the influence to get one. It is only when the author makes the provision for his medical help that he gets proper treatment and gets back life; otherwise he would have died by the septic of his wound. Jim Corbett writes in the story – ‘with the exception of professional beggars, the poor in India can only eat when they work, … Maggie supplied all Narwa’s wants, and the wants of his family.’ This description in the story shows that in India common people live a life of hardship where if they do not work they do not get any food. Narwa and his family would not have survived if Maggie would not have been helpful to them. All these details are provided by Jim Corbett to point out how the lives of common people in India, especially those livings on the foothills of the Himalayas, are full of suffering and hardships.
Check Your Progress
3. What were the professions of Haria and Narwa in the short story?
4. Who helps Haria and Narwa at Nalni?
5. State the primary reason why the author is unable to get Haria and Narwa acknowledged for their bravery.
ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS QUESTIONS 1. Jim Corbett was a lieutenant-colonel of the British officers serving in India and had an illustrious career in India in terms of training people in jungle warfare and ways of Indian jungles.
2. Jim Corbett’s writings on man-eating tigers of India are popular throughout the world, especially through writings like Man Eaters of Kumaon and Man Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag.
3. The author mentions that Haria and Naria were basket makers by profession. In summer months, they worked in their village, while in winter months they went to Kaladhungi where there is a great demand for huge baskets.
4. Maggie is the person who helps Haria and Narwa at Nalni. She writes to the Assistant Surgeon, the incharge of Kaladhungi hospital, to attend Narwa.
5. Corbett mentions that to get the bravery of Haria and Narwa acknowledged by a certificate of merit by the government, the truth had to be sworn in by ‘independent and unbiased eyewitnesses’ which were lacking in this case. 1. In the united provinces basket-making was done by__________ a. untouchables b. sweepers c. barbers d. weavers 2. The Bamboo in Kaladhungi grew in________ a. mountains b. reserved forest c. gardens d. parks 3. Where were Narwa and Haria going_______ a. Kalagath b. Sambal chour c. Kaladhungi d. none 4.. What was the common sight in the grass jungle_______? a. dears b. foot steps of humans c. foot steps of lion d. foot steps of tiger 5. What sight did Haria see when he looked back________ a. a tiger b. a bear c. a peacock d. a lion 6. How did Haria save Narwa fromTiger______ a. by firing b. by pulling down c. by throwing stones d. none 7.. Haria went round Musabanga village because___________
a. not to face the tiger again b. short cut to the hospital c. Narwa was in great paind. Musabanga could not be reached otherwise 8.. Maggie gave Narwa a stiff dose of ______________ a. Alcohol b. sal volatile c. Anti-biotic d. pain killer 9.The long scars on his chest and back that Narwa will carry to the burning-ghat were made by ___________ a. the Tiger b. the Doctor c. his Friends d. his Brother 10.. Narwa’s wants was taken care by_________ a. Haria b. Maggie c. Narwa’s wife d. other friends