NRI OF 2005

 

NRI lawyer left his flourishing practice and settled life in New Jersey to bring hope in the lives. He was shaken by the reports of large scale suicides by farmers in Andhra. But instead of just hoping the govt to take steps, he decided to do something himself.of poverty stricken farmers in his native state, Andhra Pradesh, Now as a Congress M.P from Nizamabad.

Yaskhi, along with a group of NRI friends,adopted 52 families in Machareddy mandal in Nizamabad district which reported the highest number of suicides. He gave each of the family--- where a suicide has been committed---10,000 rs cash,undertook to educate 55 children of all such families and got a US-trained Psychiatrist to counsel farmers out of depression

Yashi's MP status led him to put up his house in the US for sale, surrender his Green card and leave his law firm in his partners' care. Public life has also meant a change in sartorial statement. when he turned up in Parliament in shirt and trousers, the security asked for his identity card at evert point. So now he has adopted the MP's dresscode-white Kurta-Pyjama

Madhu Yaskhi's immigration law firm has helped thousands of Asian-Indians gain legal residency in the United States. In 2003, his journey to politics started when he was reading a newspaper about the plight of farmers in Machareddy town in Andhra Pradesh and he immediately wanted to become a source of refuge to their families, among whom many had lost their breadwinners due to suicides.

“I started by giving Rs. 10,000 ($220) each to the 43 farmer families who had committed suicides. They had lost confidence in themselves and in the government,” Yaskhi said.

His wife, Shuchee, an endocrinologist who also had a successful career in New York, returned to India and started a practice to tend to children and the poor. “We did not work for recognition. But it was noticed. Then on March 31, on the last day for filing nominations, I got a ticket from the Congress Party to run for the Lok Sabha from Nizamabad,” Yaskhi said.

“I could just campaign for 18 days, but managed to win with a comfortable margin.”

Yaskhi admits elections haven't solved problem of Andhra farmers. Over 100 have killed themselves since the change of guard there