Harman Singh, a 22-year-old Sikh man, is being being showered with praise for his heroic act which involved breaking religious norms by removing his turban to cradle the head of boy who was hit by a car in New Zealand.
Singh was at home in South Auckland when he heard the screeching of car wheels on the street. A five-year-old boy, who was walking to school with his elder sister, was hit by a car on Friday.
"I saw a little boy lying in the road and there was a lot of blood coming from the back of his head. A lady was holding him and he wasn't moving," Singh told NZ Herald. "I feared the worst. His mother was there, too and she was in shock."
Singh, an Indian, who is pursuing a business course in New Zealand, said he has received hundreds of Facebook herograms from the United States, Europe and India.
"Total strangers are asking to be friends on Facebook and thousands of people have said 'Well done'. I was only doing what I had to and trying to be a decent member of the community," he said.
Singh told NZ Herald that he was only at home at the time of accident because he changed his shift as a bakery delivery driver. The newspaper reported that the boy is recovering Starship Hospital after surgery.
Singh's story has been widely shared on social media, and his decision to remove his turban is getting a thumbs-up on Twitter.
Great job #harmansingh great message to those who believe religion comes before people. #faithinhumanityrestored#respect
— Jishnu S (@Jishnu_Sudhir) May 18, 2015
Hats off and take a bow harman singh, you saved a child removing your turban with no second thoughts #Auckland#TheHinduTimes
— Siddhesh M. Rao (@Siddheshrao3) May 18, 2015
Harman Singh (Auckland), the Crow salutes you.
— waggacrow (@waggacrow) May 18, 2015
Well done... Harman Singh sardara di sardari jindabaz
— Jasvinder Singh (@jasvindersings) May 18, 2015
Absolutely, humanity is the true religion......Kudos Harman Singh. https://t.co/QQAPJvxaHc
— Bala (@iam_balaa) May 18, 2015
Humanity is the greatest religion #harmansingh
— Hatem (@HatemKaak) May 17, 2015
Humanity is above all religion proves Sikh Harman Singh in Melbourne @dryadusingh@BJPSamvadWB salute pic.twitter.com/uTeU0YOGzP
— বানীব্রত দাশগুপ্ত (@Bunibroto) May 17, 2015
Small selfless acts speak the loudest. Faith in humanity restored. No bigger religion than helping the ones in need. #HarmanSingh#BeingHuman
— Nikhil Ghallyan (@niksinnz) May 16, 2015
No Harman Singh behaved like a true Sikh, any other Sikh would have done that. https://t.co/Q63Tbb795L
— Gurinder S Ahluwalia (@Guri02) May 17, 2015
Contact HuffPost India