For me, Corbett is not just a destination. It is the geography of my soul.
For over three decades, my life was deeply connected to this land, a world that rekindles your spirit and reorients you to a rhythm which is governed by forces beyond human comprehension. My husband’s work as a Forest Service officer made Corbett a constant and welcome presence in our lives. It was far more than a place we visited; it was our teacher in patience, our friend in solitude, and our guide into nature’s great, silent mysteries.
This collection, born from a lifetime of observation and love, is not merely inspired by that land, it is born of it. Every piece of this jewellery collection is a page from my life’s journal, a story of a specific moment or feeling, etched in metal and stone to capture the permanence of memory.
I have known the ultimate luxury of simply standing still, breathing the crisp, clean air, and being embraced by the wild, sacred fragrance of Mother Earth.
I know this place in its infinite subtleties. Each of the forest rest houses, for instance, holds a distinct personality. I know the Sal forests in winter, their profound stillness, where the only sound is the whistling silence that moves through the trees, a sound that teaches you how to listen. I have watched the first light over the vast grasslands of Dhikala, seeing the world painted new in hues of gold and amber. I have been witness to the sky glowing crimson above the dense woodlands of Bijrani and the mesmerising terrains of Jhirna, Sarpdulli, and Khinanauli.
Central to all these memories is the gentle murmur of the East Ramganga River, the lifeline of Corbett Park. Rising in the hills near Ranikhet, it flows through the entire landscape of park, a silver artery of life. A river teaches you about time and generosity. It carves landscapes and memories with equal patience, offering itself freely, providing life to every being without differentiation. It is the beating heart of the forest, giving sustenance to everything—from the smallest blades of grass to the mighty tigers and elephants that patrol its banks. From certain points, it is a joy to watch the gharials and crocodiles basking on its sandy shores, timeless as the flow of water itself. Here, along the Ramganga, I encountered nature unadulterated – in the startled flight of a deer, the ephemeral trace of a tiger, the guileless sambar, and the pristine, unspoken law of the forest.
The forest also teaches you about the great, unbroken cycle of life. I have seen a herd of deer grazing peacefully on the grasslands, their existence sustained by the earth. And in the same landscape, I have felt the silent presence of a tiger, for whom the deer is sustenance. It is the complete food chain, vividly on display. It’s a profound lesson: that life is an act of service. The grass nourishes the deer, the deer sustains the tiger, and in due course, the tiger returns to the earth, nourishing the grass in turn. It reveals that we are all essential to one another, bound by nature’s sacred, selfless law.There is no place for ego here, for nature teaches the profound surrender to the singular, encompassing Consciousness.
A Kingdom of Legends
This land is no anonymous wilderness; it is a kingdom of legends, each with a name, a history, and a soul. I came to know its sovereigns: the regal queens Paar Wali, Ped Wali, Titli, and Paro, and the magnificent male tigers of Dhikala—Romeo and Dolphin. There was also Bhola of the Dhela zone. As the name suggests, he is a simple, innocent soul, carrying no needless aggression, only the quiet, confident strength of his kind. In a world defined by a fierce struggle for survival, Bhola is a reminder of a different kind of power—the power of calm assurance. Now six to seven years old, he walks with a grace steeped in majesty and elegance, the undisputed darling of every traveller fortunate enough to witness him.
And the legacy continues. In the Dhikala zone now lives Choti Paro, the graceful daughter of old Paro. Born in November 2018, she has grown from a playful cub into a tigress of breathtaking beauty and poise. To see her now, shepherding a blessed family of her own—three precious cubs at her side—is to witness the sacred thread of life being woven into the future. She is not just a tigress; she is a matriarch, a living bridge between the past and the future of Corbett’s royal dynasty, a testament to the park’s eternal, life-affirming rhythm.
They were not mere animals and men—they were vessels of wisdom, of memory, of Corbett itself.
I learned to recognize them not just as tigers, but as individuals. The same was true of the elephants who carried us through their ancient world. To be perched atop Sonakali, wise and patient, was to see the world from a different plane. We trusted these gentle giants—Gomti, as gentle as the river she was named for, and Gajraj, the embodiment of might and majesty—as they navigated the tall grasslands, their steps sure and silent. Each was guided with perfection by mahouts like the legendary Subedar, whose quiet commands and gentle touch spoke a language older than words, a seamless partnership built on decades of mutual respect.
An Offering to the Wild
The Corbett Collection is my attempt to give tangible form to these sacred memories. Each piece is a whisper of the wild, a story you can hold and wear:
- - The delicate veins of a cannabis leaf, like a map of the forest floor.
- - The fierce music of the jungle, captured in bold, untamed lines.
- - The timeless majesty of the elephant, a symbol of serenity and strength.
- - The gentle curve of the Ramganga, immortalized in flowing silver.
- - The resilience of bamboo, the fragile grace of a Sal leaf, the fleeting miracle of a butterfly’s wing.
This collection is not just jewellery. It is an offering—for those who understand that the wilderness is not meant to be conquered, but revered. It is an invitation to carry a fragment of its silence, its innocence, its fierce beauty, wherever life may take you. When you wear a piece from the Corbett Collection, you become a storyteller yourself, a keeper of the memory of the wild. You carry with you the whisper of the wind through Sal trees, the shimmer of the sun upon the Ramganga, the unbroken bond of nature, and the spirit of a land that has become the truest part of me. And may it bring you the deep and abiding peace it has always brought me.
Therefore, the Corbett Collection is more than a personal memoir; it is a quiet pledge. It is Totapari’s endeavor to champion the cause of conservation and to help protect the rich, wild heritage handed down to us by our forefathers. Through our deep love for Corbett, we hope to kindle that same reverence in others, to share an awareness not of what we stand to lose, but of the immense beauty we stand to protect. In a world where rising global temperatures threaten the very roots of our existence, this is a duty that belongs to all of us. We must fight for our Mother Earth, the generous soul of our world, who gives us so much and asks only for our care in return.
With love from the wilderness,
Poonam Malik
Founder, Totapari
