Gurmeet Singh was 9 when a wall of ocean wave crashed down on his life in the Nicobar Islands. He watched as his sisters, 3 and 5, were washed away by the engulfing water. He watched as his parents lost their struggle against the powerful sea.

“He lost everything, everyone drowned, and he told me about it – with no emotion,” said Navneet Singh. “Half hour before, we were talking about cricket and carom board.” Navneet Singh is director of United Sikhs, a disaster relief organization. When the Asian tsunami hit in 2004, he dropped everything to fly to the other side of the world to help out.

Gurmeet was too young to realize what he had lost, and Navneet Singh kept thinking of all the pain he would go through as he grew up. “After what I had seen, I just could not walk away.”

In December, Navneet Singh was honored with the Humanitarian Award from the Minorities in Business Foundation for his non-profit work in helping the children affected by natural disasters. The award recognizes achievements by executives that highlight visionary works of minorities. Navneet Singh was honored for his relief work for the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the Asian earthquake.

Cynthia Butler-Hayden, executive producer of the awards gala event said, “We are very proud to honor Navneet with our special Humanitarian Award recognizing his philanthropic pilgrimage and humanitarian efforts in leading through the worlds biggest disasters. His leadership as a director of United Sikhs and helping our community at large, especially the children, in times of need, is simply admirable.”

Navneet Singh, 28, came to the United States 10 years ago, alone. He graduated from Michigan State in 2000 with a degree in management information systems and began as an executive with Accenture, a large consulting company in Atlanta, where he is still working.

Navneet Singh had been with Accenture for only a few years when he felt the need to leave for Southeast Asia. “You figure out what you are going to do, I am going,” he told his employer. He thought he would be gone for two or three weeks, but his absence lasted almost 14 weeks. “

There was so much to do. We decided to take one area and take care of them fully well,” Navneet Singh said. “Nobody had cared for the poor.” Everything needed to do be rebuilt. Everyone had to put pieces of his or her life back together.

Gurmeet is now living with his uncle and aunt. He was given games to play with, perhaps to take his mind away from his pains. He is receiving living expenses and education. United Sikhs opened a school that provides free education to every child, said Navneet Singh. More than 100 homes were also built.

Volunteers often paid for the expenses out of their own pockets. “I am lucky enough to have money to give,” Navneet Singh said. But one person can only do so much. He and United Sikhs raised money from gurdwaras and Sikh American communities.

The following year, Navneet Singh was gone again from his job for a couple of weeks. He did relief work for Katrina victims in Louisiana. Last year he was back in Southeast Asia to help earthquake victims in Pakistan. To some employers, Navneet Singh may seem impulsive, someone who takes off with reckless abandon. But at Accenture, his associates found him inspirational. “He is a great role model,” said Albert Bahar. They had worked together for the same client for almost a year.

Navneet Singh was leading one of the most successful teams and he was always ready to put in the extra effort, he said. “Team members loved him.” When Navneet Singh came back from one of his relief projects, he would give a presentation to his colleagues about what he did and how others could be more active. He was also chosen for the Corporate Citizen Award this year, the company’s highest honor, Bahar said. Navneet Singh has seen a great deal of pain and suffering around the world, but his convictions keep him positive and fulfilled. “I am having the best time of my life because I am a Sikh,” he said.

Note: By Anju Kaur Source from siikhnn.com