Tejinder Pal Singh is a familiar face on the streets of Darwin, where strangers often approach him in need of food.
Speaking to SBS Punjabi, he says helping the needy is more than just good charitable work for him.
“For me, this is a religious duty enshrined by the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, who has taught us to vand chhako means to share one’s wealth with others, to give charity and distribute langar (free kitchen) in whichever capacity you can,” Mr Singh says.
Mr Singh migrated to Adelaide with his young family from Punjab in north India in 2006.
He later moved to Darwin for better job prospects, when a racist encounter with a customer in his cab changed the course of his life.
“I will never forget that day. It was in 2012. I picked up a customer who took in my appearance and asked me which school my children were enrolled in.
“When I told him the name of the school, he said he would send his children to the same school as he believed I would not bomb an establishment that my children attended,” Mr Singh shares.
The 50-year-old says the incident shook him, and that’s when he decided to launch his food van to distribute meals to the hungry to create awareness about his turban and Sikh religion.
“I was shaken beyond words. You see, Darwin, at the time, was isolated from the rest of Australia, and not many Sikh families lived here.
“So, I decided to start the food van with the sole purpose of creating awareness about my faith and to ensure no one was afraid of my beard and turban,” he says.