Corbett, Oct 13: Corbett has been a place of firsts. Established in 1936 it became India’s first national park. In 1973 it  was one of the original nine landscapes where Project Tiger was launched. Corbett’s forests have  shaped some of India’s most enduring wildlife writing, photography and conservation thinking. 

With the inauguration of the first edition of the Literature Festival, Corbett began another first. The  inaugural Corbett Literature Festival took place from 6–8 October 2026, bringing together writers,  conservationists, scientists, wildlife photographers, historians, artists, local voices and readers for three  days of conversations across the Corbett landscape. But the festival was intended to be more than a  literary gathering. It was inaugurated by the Forest Minister and concluded by a local MLA.  

It comes at a moment when destinations across India are rapidly developing, and asks a more  fundamental question: How do we grow responsibly? 

The festival supported by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, brought more than 20  conversations and with over 30 speakers, the festival explored conservation, coexistence, responsible  tourism, Uttarakhand's cultural heritage, Himalayan ecology and the relationship between communities  and the landscapes they call home. The larger ambition was to place conservation and communities at  the heart of the conversation about tourism and recognizing that protecting a landscape also means  protecting the culture, traditions, livelihoods and local knowledge that have evolved alongside it. 

The festival was held with the support of the wider Corbett ecosystem and across three independent  hospitality partners: The Riverview Retreat, Aahana Resort & Spa and The Golden Tusk; each opening  its doors to a different part of the programme. Rather than presenting hospitality simply as a means of  bringing visitors to a destination, the three properties see their role as extending to the future of the  landscape in which they operate.

A LANDSCAPE THAT HAS ALWAYS INSPIRED STORIES 

From the writings of Jim Corbett to the pioneering wildlife photography and natural history of F.W.  Champion, Corbett has long been a landscape where the wild has been observed, documented and  interpreted. 

Therefore, the festival seeks to continue that tradition while widening the conversation. Its four broad  themes: Nature & Wildlife, The Himalayas, Uttarakhand, and Culture & Heritage, bring together  national voices with those who live, work and create within the region. 

Among the speakers were conservationists Prerna Singh Bindra, Sanjay Gubbi, Vijay Dhasmana, and  Raza Kazmi; writers and naturalists including Neha Sinha and Stephen Alter; and wildlife explorers and  photographers including Dhritiman Mukherjee, Anup Shah and Akash Das, alongside historians, artists  and local cultural practitioners. The programme also looked beyond wildlife itself: towards folk  traditions, oral histories, music, food, photography and the lived relationship between people and the  forest, bringing names like Pushpesh Pant, Shekhar Pathak, Madhuri Barthwal, Kalyan Singh Rawat to  the festival; along with that representation from Corbett National Park: Saket Badola, Praveen Pardeshi,  and Samir Sinha.  

“CORBETT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE WHERE CONSERVATION  AND STORYTELLING HAVE MET.” 

Mr. Saket Badola, Field Director Corbett Tiger Reserve and Festival Director, Corbett Literature  Festival, said:  

“Corbett’s future lies in finding the right balance between conservation and responsible  tourism. The government and the hospitality sector have an important role to play in  working together to improve the visitor experience while ensuring that tourism remains  sensitive to the needs of the park, its wildlife and surrounding communities. The Corbett  Literature Festival brings together many voices around this larger conversation, but the  responsibility extends well beyond these three days. Our shared objective must be to  protect Corbett, strengthen the region and ensure that tourism grows in a way that  supports the long-term health of this landscape.”

THREE HOSPITALITY PARTNERS. ONE LIVING LANDSCAPE. 

For The Riverview Retreat, the festival begins beside the Kosi River, with the property hosting the  opening day of the programme. 

Karam Srivastava, Promoter, The Riverview Retreat, said: 

“For over 20 years, The Riverview Retreat has grown alongside the remarkable landscape  of Corbett, which has been central to our journey. Hosting the inaugural Corbett Literature  Festival has strengthened our resolve to give back to the region through more responsible  

tourism, sustainable practices and greater conservation awareness. We hope to extend this  commitment beyond our property, working with neighbouring villages and hospitality  establishments to ensure that the festival creates a lasting, positive impact on Corbett and  its communities.” 

The festival then moves through the Corbett landscape, with Aahana Resort & Spa hosting  conversations centered on conservation, wildlife and the future of responsible tourism. 

Ayu Tripathi, Promoter, Aahana Resort & Spa, said: 

“Aahana has always believed that being a hospitality business in Corbett comes with a  responsibility beyond welcoming guests. We are custodians of a landscape, and the future  of tourism here depends on how thoughtfully we grow alongside it. The Literature Festival  gives us a chance to bring different voices into the same room — conservationists,  communities, storytellers, travellers and those building businesses here — and ask what we  want Corbett to stand for in the years ahead.” 

At The Golden Tusk, the festival continues its exploration of the relationship between people, place and  the wild. 

Anirudh Lakhotia, Promoter, The Golden Tusk, said: 

“It's a privilege to have been associated with the Corbett Literature Festival which brings  conversations about nature conservation, cultural preservation & responsible tourism to  centrestage. This festival will act as a catalyst for action-oriented initiatives for creating  world-class traveller experiences” 

Together, the three properties represent three independent hospitality businesses choosing to invest  not only in the visitor experience, but in the wider conversation around the landscape they inhabit.

FROM TOURISM TO STEWARDSHIP 

The festival comes at an important point in Uttarakhand's tourism story. 

As destinations evolve and infrastructure expands, the question is no longer simply how many people a  place can welcome, but how tourism can strengthen, rather than erode, the ecological and cultural  systems that make that place special. 

For Corbett, that means protecting its forests and wildlife, while also recognising the people who live  around them; preserving local traditions, music, food and oral histories; creating meaningful livelihoods;  and ensuring that tourism remains compatible with the long-term health of the landscape. The first  edition is therefore not being positioned as an endpoint, but as an inception. An annual platform; a  gathering that can continue beyond these three days. And, potentially, a new chapter in how Corbett  thinks about tourism, conservation, and its own future. 

Because some landscapes are not simply destinations. They are inheritances. And  what we choose to do with them becomes part of their story.