Shimla, Oct. 6 -- A new book titled 'Samuel to Satyanand Stokes' documenting the extraordinary life and contribution of Satyanand Stokes, the American missionary who introduced apple cultivation to the hills of Himachal Pradesh and later became a participant in India's freedom movement, was launched in Shimla on Tuesday.

The book was released on the opening day of a three-day international conference on Himalayan culture, history and art being organised by the Himachal Pradesh State Museum in Shimla.

Written by Vinod Bhardwaj, a Shimla-based former senior editor with the Information and Public Relations Department, the book traces the transformation of Samuel Evans Stokes into Satyanand Stokes and highlights his contribution to educatio...