Whenever a person of Indian origin gets felicitated and honoured in a foreign country for their excellence, we Indians cannot help but be proud, and rightfully so. British resident Rajinder Singh became the latest person of Indian origin to make us proud, internationally.

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Earlier this week, Singh was awarded one of the highest titles that a civilian in the United Kingdom can be bestowed with. He was awarded the MBE, or, the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, for his services to health and fitness. The ceremony was organised by Prince Charles.

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Rajinder Singh moved to London in the 1970s and has spent his life as a driver at the Heathrow Airport up until his retirement. 

During the lockdown in Britain, Singh started making videos of him exercising, and teaching people, how to skip, in order to stay fit. Speaking to the BBC, he said that he was concerned that his fellow people, especially those who would gather at the local Gurudwara, would start feeling isolated and may lose morale.

© Rajinder Singh

He thought that getting them to engage in any physical activity, in this case, skipping, would be a great distraction for them. Also, the exercise would benefit them greatly. Thus, he started making fun, instructional videos on skipping, and posted them online, on their local community pages.

Soon enough, these videos were picked up by others, and it went Viral. So much so, that using just these videos, Singh was able to raise about 14,000 Pounds for United Kingdom’s NHS or National Health Service.

© Rajinder Singh

Singh says that his father, who was a soldier in the Indian Army, taught him to skip, and made him pick this up as a habit.

© Rajinder Singh

While felicitating him, the Prince of Wales, too showed a rather vigorous enthusiasm for skipping and exercising in general, and said that he would love to have some lessons, said Singh.

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For later this year, Rajinder Singh is all set to take part in the London Marathon for Mencap. The Mencap, or The Royal Mencap Society is a charity that works with people with learning disabilities.

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