Samuel aka Satyananda Stokes

Do You Know: The Story of American Who was Part of Indian Independence Struggle

Though the Indian independence struggle was spearheaded by the founding fathers, there are hordes of common people who made a significant contribution to the movement. Samuel Stokes, popularly known as ‘Satyananda Stokes’, was the only American who participated in the Indian freedom struggle. He was born into a family of businessmen in Philadelphia. His father owned an elevator manufacturing company and expected his son to take over the business. But Stokes had a different plan to travel to India to help the needy. At the age of 22, he left his home to serve leprosy patients residing in the Himalayas regions like Shimla. Once he reached India and started serving the patients, he realized that they didn’t think of him as one of their own. But Stokes wanted the locals to see him as one among them. In an attempt to reach out to the locals, he learned the Pahari dialect of Hindi and put on Indian outfits. Gradually, the locals started accepting him. In 1912, Stokes found his love of life, Benjamin Agnes, a daughter of a first-generation Rajput Christian. During his time in India, the unjust rule of the British was self-evident to him. He protested against the colonial government and asked them to give up the unjust practice of coercing Indians into forced labor - either as soldiers or as porters of the British luggage. He joined the Indian National Movement after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. He was also the only foreigner to sign the Congress manifesto that called upon Indians to give up government services and join the freedom movement. After the tragic death of his son, he adopted Hinduism and became Satyananda Stokes from Samuel Stokes. In 1946, Satyananda Stokes breathed his last in Shimla.

Today is his Birth Anniversary.