It is not always that a person gets declared a country’s citizen of the day. Especially when you are on a foreign land.
But Tejinder Pal Singh, an Indian-origin cab driver, has been named ‘Australian of the Day‘ for feeding the poor and homeless in northern Darwin since the past three years.
Every last Sunday of the month, Tejinder finishes his shift as a driver and goes to northern Darwin where he feeds the poor and homeless, giving them a taste of Indian cuisine which includes chickpeas, rice and vegetarian curry cooked especially for them.
Tejinder prepares and carries 30 kg of Indian food in his van which has a sign that says ‘Free Indian food for hungry and needy people, Provide Sikh family.’
Accompanied by his son Navdeep, who helps him cook and distribute the meal, he reaches out to the hungry without fail, irrespective of their class and race.
Tejinder is a religious man. He says that according to his religion, ten percent of one’s income should be spent on helping the needy and the homeless.
He works as an air-conditioner mechanic during the day and as a cabbie at night. People who are impressed by his work often try to provide monetary support to Tejinder, but he refuses the favour. He says that rather than donating money, they should start their own food drives within the local community.
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