This Indian-origin Sikh man was named Australian of the Day for feeding the homeless

An Indian-origin Sikh migrant driver in Australia has been named ‘Australian of the Day’ for feeding the homeless in Darwin for the past three years.

Tejinder Pal Singh has dedicated the last Sunday of the month to feed the poor and homeless locals of northern Darwin after he finishes his shift as a cabbie.

Tejinder Singh works as an air conditioner mechanic by day and a taxi driver by night. Despite having no personal time of his own, he still manages to find time to give back to the Darwin community. He rejects any monetary support, asking his fellow community members to donate pots, pans and other items of use.

It is for this noble act that he was featured as Australian of the Day on their website . He often finishes his taxi shift in thr wee hours of the morning and carries out his food drive on very little sleep, but he quoted saying that the act of giving provides him to energy to continue.

He cooks up 30 kilogrammes of Indian cuisine to feed the homeless after his night shift. The free lunch that Singh offers comprises chickpeas, rice and vegetarian curry.

“I do something for homeless people, so they get more energy so they’re happy. My religion says 10 per cent of income goes toward needy and poor people - no matter (whether) they belong to your religion or any religion,” Singh was quoted as saying by local media.

His van carries a signature written as ‘Free Indian food for hungry and needy people, Provide Sikh family.’ Commonwealth Bank has sponsored the Australian of the Year Awards for over 35 years, recognising extraordinary Australians who have made a big difference to the country.

With inputs from PTI