NRIPULSE NEWS DESK

Mohinderjit Singh Saini and family were the recipients of the Asian Model Family 2004 Awards on November 27, 2004 at the Holiday Inn in Skokie, Illinois. The awards were given by Asian Chronicle USA a television program on public access cable, produced at COMCAST Studios in Skokie, Illinois. 

Mr. & Mrs. Mohinderjit Singh Saini and family Harvinder (wife), Harleen (daughter), Jaskaran (son), Jeevanjot (son) were the recipients of Asian model Family award 2004 in the Asian Indian category. 

The Model Families were chosen on the basis of their being cohesive families, role models for others to emulate, extended numerous community services here and in their native countries and have impacted the positive image of Asians in America.

The Saini family was cited as having a long list of community service, and have kept the children and the Saini family involved in all the cultural, social, and religious activities together. Keeping the Indian tradition of joint family alive, Saini family and his in-laws live together as a joint family in Palatine. Mohinderjit's parents live with his brother in Toronto
Canada. www.pcschicago.org/mainstream/awards/SainiFamily.JPG 

Mr. Saini, a member of Zoning Board of Appeals of Village of Palatine also serves on the Asian American Advisory Council to the State of Illinois Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, and is the "Passport to the World - Ambassador" of Chicago Children's Museum.
He was the chairman of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity Committee of "Vision in Progress" a village of Palatine and Inverness initiative. 

Mr. Saini was the Program Chairman of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago's Annual Dinner Banquets in 2003 and 1995. Currently he is the banquet committee chairman of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago 2005 dinner banquet slated for February 5, 2005.
www.pcschicago.org/aa/index.htm www.aacc-illinois.org/ 

He was honored by the Asian American Coalition of Chicago with a community service award in 1992.

Mr. Saini, the past president and the Managing Director of Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) (www.PCSChicago.org www.pcschicago.org/ has served PCS in many capacities since its inception. He is also the past executive secretary, finance secretary and social secretary of Sikh Religious Society of Chicago. He is an active member of Sikh American Heritage Organization www.sikhamerican.org/

Mr. Saini headed the committee to publish Punjabi community resource directory "Punjabi Pages" in 1999 and 2001. He was honored with community service award by Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago in 1997, and "Chitrahar TV" in 2001.

A well known Punjabi performing artist, Mr. Saini also teaches Punjabi folk dance "Bhangra" to the children. He has organized various Punjabi Cultural, Sikh American and Asian American mainstream events in Chicago for the last 18 years.

Mr. Saini, a post graduate in civil engineering from University of Illinois at Chicago and a graduate from Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, is an experienced construction engineering professional. Currently, he is a construction consulting engineer with Teng and Associates, Inc. of Chicago at their LaGrange Rd. reconstruction project.

The Saini family children are learning their mother tongue Punjabi from parents and grandparents and can recite and sing hymns with musical instruments. The whole family practices dancing and has performed Punjabi folk dances at numerous Punjabi, Indian, Asian American, and mainstream events including the Millennium Park Grand Opening http://www.pcschicago.org/mainstream/MilleniumPark/index.htm and Thanksgiving Day Paarde http://www.pcschicago.org/mainstream/Parade04/index.htm

The other awards given by the Asian Chronicle were as follows. The Pan Asian Model Family awards were: Dr. & Mrs. Crescencio Azcueta (In Memoriam), Humanitarian Model Family - Mr. & Mrs. Austin D'Souza (District 1-A Governor, Lions Club International), Humanitarian of the Year - Dr. Nguyen-Trung Hieu, (Founder, Nghia Sinh International).

The Asian Model Families from other Asian communities were: Mr. & Mrs. Rahman Atiq (Bangladesh), Mr. & Mrs. Chenda Taing (Cambodian), Dr. & Mrs. Cesar Puray, M.D. (Filipino), Mr. & Mrs. Muhammad Rukli ( Indonesian), Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Sunkoo Lee (Korean), and Dr. & Mrs Chanachai Memark (Thai).

The event will be broadcast on Saturday January 22, and 29, 2004 at 5:30 pm at public access cable channel 35 and channel 19.