Ashok Mahesh Joshi is no millionaire in Las Vegas, and yet his desire to work for his motherland and help the poor has changed the lives of many. Even at 70, he is doing all he can for the education of poor children and the victims of natural calamity in Mahua Taluka of Surat, his native place.
Ashok left for the US with his family in 1972, after he became a civil engineer. While in India, he worked with former chief minister of Gujarat late Amarsinh Chaudhary.
The first few years spent in the US taught Joshi the most important lesson of his life - never forget your roots and culture.
Ashok's mother Ramanben, a primary schoolteacher in Vyara (Tapi District), was his source of inspiration. She turned blind in her twilight years, and it was then that Ashok decided to work for the physically challenged people.
A successful civil engineer in the US, Ashok was also determined to do something for the education of the tribal people and victims of natural disaster.
"He started depositing money for the cause which eventually led to the establishment of a trust,India Abroad Foundation - India Charity Trust, in 1985," said Kapil Purohit, chairman of the trust. "We did not have a lot of fund, but the aim was to do as much as we can for the handicapped, needy, students and victims of calamities," he added.
"Ashok Joshi is now settled with his family in Las Vegas, but he has spent nearly 40 years working as a professional in the US. He not only saved money for the poor in India, but also inspired others to do the same," said Shailesh Joshi, secretary of Ramangauri M Joshi Trust, formed a few years later and named after Ashok's mother.
"For years, we have been trying to help the needy in Mahua, Vyara, Navsari, Surat, and Bardoli areas through various means," Shailesh said.
Ashok's endeavours have made a difference to the lives of at least 10,000 people in Surat and the surrounding rural areas.
One of the beneficiaries, a student, said, "Earlier, I used to walk four kilometres every day to reach school and back home. Now, I ride a bicycle the trust gave me. I utilize the time thus saved by helping out my father at our family farm and also studying extra."
Ashok is now planning to come up with another trust in the US which will make transfer of money for his work easier.
"We only manage to save between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 8 lakh a year for the case, but this will change in the next couple of months," said Purohit, a former state-owned Life Insurance Companyemployee who is now associated with many charitable activities of the trust in south Gujarat region.
Ashok said the work he is doing at his native place is as important to him as his own family. "I will continue doing this kind of work for the rest of my life," he says.
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