Meet Inder Singh, founder, organizer, and mentor-in-chief of the Indian Heritage Foundation Annual Awards, completing 30 years in April 2016. Even at 80 something, his enthusiasm hasn’t waned, his resolve to leave behind a legacy for young Indians in America has not diminished an ounce. And that is why, the Annual Awards have been such a success, and why donors have stepped in every year to sponsor this beautiful event that has become such a worthy cause.
When the proverbial whistle blows to set the ball rolling at the 30th Awards function on April 10, 2016 at the Cerritos Sheraton Hotel in Los Angeles, one man can look back with satisfaction at the yeoman service he has done for an entire generation. 30 years is a long time, after all—the first batch of awardees would perhaps be parents of teenagers themselves.

Why did Inder Singh choose to do this? He had plenty on his plate anyways after dedicating his life to community service. “A community worker never retires,” he says, philosophically. Temple work came first, then followed his engagements with a Punjabi cultural organization, FIA of Southern California, the NFIA, and later with the GOPIO International that he chairs. You cannot find logical answers to a man’s deeds always, especially when they are kind, generous and selfless. What we believe is that 30 years ago he decided that young In-dian talent needed to be showcased and recognized for posterity, but more importantly for telling America that India had some serious talent. And America, and particularly California, surely knows today what Indians can do. Ask firms like Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Sun, and many more.