Saoner, Nagpur, India, ca.1937

"Saoner. The Baptism of Lehanu and Family. Rev J.Misal, Dr Taylor, Rev T.W. Gardiner." Group portrait of the Lehanu family pictured with Reverend Misal and Reverend Gardiner. The Reverend T. W Gardiner was heavily involved in mission work and in attempting to unify the Hindu, Muslim and Christian faiths he created a book entitled ‘A House of Prayer for all Nations.’ Stephen Hislop (1817-1863) was charged, by the Free Church of Scotland, with setting up a mission in Nagpur in 1845 which had been endowed by an army officer, Brigadier W. Hill. Based 10 miles from Nagpur at Kamptee, a military camp situated on the Kanhan River, he taught at the school. He learnt the Marathi (the language of western and central India) quickly and integrated with local people. He had a keen interest in the sciences and followed the principles of Alexander Duff and set up a vernacular school (1846) which would eventually become the Hislop College. He died when on an archaeological expedition when horse and rider went over a bank into a swollen river and drowned.