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american
November 2009 
Samuel Evans Stokes Jr alias Satyanand
Posted on Mar 15th, 2009
by 
sanmugan
sanmugan
In a New Book, the Story of An American Who Embraced India
Source: www.etaiwannews.com
PHILADELPHIA, USA, February 14, 2009: You may not know who Satyanand Stokes (1882-1946) was, but Mohandas Gandhi did. So does the Dalai Lama, and a picture of Satyanand hangs in the Nehru Memorial Library in New Delhi, among other leaders of India’s independence movement. Born Samuel Evans Stokes Jr., the firstborn son of a Philadelphia Quaker family, Stokes set off for India’s Simla Hills at the age of 21 to work in a home for lepers.
Before long, Stokes took on local dress, rejected the privileges of a white Westerner, gave away his belongings, and adopted the name Satyanand. In 1912, he married a local woman. He introduced American Red Delicious apples to the Himalayas in 1916, and in 1924, he opened a school to educate the children of local farmers. He became a leader in Gandhi’s independence movement–the only American member of the All India Congress Committee, and the only American ever imprisoned by the British for involvement in that cause. In 1932, he converted to Hinduism, in part because he detested the Christian notion of eternal punishment.
Stokes’ story is told by his granddaughter, Asha Sharma, in a lovingly detailed and enormously moving biography entitled “An American in Gandhi’s India: The Biography of Satyanand Stokes.” Sharma’s excellent combination of smooth storytelling and detailed research makes Stokes’ story alluring in both its early Philadelphia moments and its long unfolding in India.
(HPI)
Access: Public
This sounds like some good reading material. Thanks for sharing. I’ll have to get this book soon.
Absolutely fascinating. Never heard of this person before. I am going to get the book from the library or order it through Amazon. I liked the part about the Red Delicious apples. I am passing the information on to a couple of friends who would also be interested in reading this story. We in the west don’t know enough about all the great accomplishments of the very talented, brilliant, and spiritual people of India. There is much more interest now because yoga is so popular and as people learn more about yogic philosophy. The West is importing spirituality from the East and it is filling a need here. Bravo! and bows _^_
PS –I love Indian movies and get quite a few on SuperChannel. What I like is lots of them are moral plays. In the end, no one gets away with anything.;>)
I have even got my friends interested in them, and they are always amazed and it causes a lot of discussion when the movie is over.
I just ordered the book from Amazon.
Thanks for the movie tip. I have SuperChannel and they have a Bollywood section. At first, I thought it was going to be those movies with those huge musical numbers. Was pleasantly surprised to find first class movies made in India. I love foreign films - hardly ever watch Hollywood movies. I’ll watch for “Naan Kadvul” and have marked it in my desk book. I’ll remember the word “naan” –one of my favourite breads.
How interesting; you really find interesting material, Sanmugan.
I had no idea about this man. What a magnificent story! I am going to Google now.
Thank you so much!
Ben