Samuel Stokes with his family, 1914
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Courtesy of Asha Sharma
Samuel Stokes teaching an outdoor class, c. 1930
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Courtesy of Asha Sharma ">
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Courtesy of Asha Sharma ">
Samuel Stokes teaching an outdoor class, c. 1930
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
Courtesy of Asha Sharma
Samuel Stokes immigrated to India in 1904. Initially caring for lepers, Stokes later adopted orphans and opened schools in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. He married a local Christian and eventually converted his family to Hinduism. Stokes, who changed his name to Satyanand, transformed the economy of the Shimla Hills by introducing American Delicious apples to the area. Politically, he fought for the greater freedom of India – which led to him being the only U.S. expatriate jailed for the cause – and earned the respect of Gandhi.