It’s an enviable view that Vijay Stokes has from his family home, Harmony Hall. It crests his very own hill in Kotgarh, 3 hours north-east of Shimla, and on a clear day he can see snow-capped Himalayan peaks ring the horizon while the Sutlej river snakes through the valley below. Pickaxe in hand, and dressed in his customary Pahari kurta and waistcoat, the 78-year-old is reworking an experiment his grandfather, Samuel Stokes, had begun nearly a century before him. And it has to do with an apple which was as much [continue reading…]
Excellent write up .. know a few from the stokes family.. Vinay Sirckek my batchmate my bro of 79 batch specially .. had d privilege of visiting kothgarh & enjoying d hospitality & all family stories .. impressed , great & proud to be stories heard .. really Stokes bought the revolution & that’s why they are revered till day .. wish Sir Vijay , the family & all farmers d best .. may GBU all always!
This incredible story brought tears to my eyes. I knew the Stokes from when I was in Bishop Cotton School, Simla, from 1954 to 1963. I never went to the orchid in Kotgarh but certainly enjoyed their apples.
This true story is very moving and well written. I wish the Stokes the best of luck always.
Joe Joshi
(A veteran journalist of print and broadcast news with worldwide experience)