Stories of Yes #52 - The YES that changed a country

 

He's humble and kind, and Aditya Tiwari has changed history in his home country of India by revamping the adoption laws. On September 13, 2014, Aditya walked into an orphanage for the first time in his life and he was saddened by the discovery that all the children had been adopted except one - a little baby boy, about six months old, with a diagnosis of Down syndrome. When the authorities told Aditya that nobody wanted to adopt that child, he instantly knew that he did. He believed with all his heart that this baby boy, who had faced rejection since he was left by his birth parents in the orphanage, was deserving of love like any other child. And his life was about to change.

Aditya's desire to adopt Avnish, affectionately known as "Binny," propelled him into a new world of learning about adoption laws in his country, and he realized that he wasn’t eligible for adopting any child in India because the minimum age requirement for a single parent to adopt was 30 years at the time. Aditya was 27. In a country where adoption itself is full of prejudice, a single man choosing to adopt a child - and one with special needs at that - had to overcome a lot of hurdles. It was a difficult journey for Aditya, bombarded with questions about why he wanted to adopt a child, especially one who is differently-abled, and he faced prejudices of being a single male mother-figure. But that wasn't going to stop him from giving that baby a home.

Aditya began correspondence with all national leaders, including the Prime Minister, requesting that they consider his case as exceptional, but the government initially rejected his request. Aditya kept fighting though, highlighting his concerns to the government. It took him nearly 1.5 years to convince the authorities, but he did. And on January 01, 2016, Aditya Tiwari became the youngest single parent in India to adopt a child with special needs. In addition, the minimum age for a potential parent in India was reduced to 25, thanks to Aditya's determined efforts.

Later that year, Aditya got married to his wife, Arpita, and fast forward five years - Aditya quit his IT job, and he and his wife have started their own support group called Avnish Social Welfare Society, where they counsel parents who wish to adopt, and those who are parenting differently-abled children. Most recently, Aditya also started working on a project aimed at providing employment to people with special needs, and they support a bakery in Kolkata that employs persons with disabilities. Now, Aditya is working on spreading awareness for special needs, creating livelihood options for people with disabilities and highlighting the gaps in special needs laws to the government of India. He tries his best to help change people’s attitude towards children and people with special needs wherever he goes.

Aditya has said, "My son was my inspiration, my driving force, who helped me fight the battle. It took almost one-and-a-half years to finally get his custody but it was all worth it. Avnish was 22 months old when I brought him home. Since then, I have learned so many things from my son. The child who was born with special needs, and had serious health issues including a hole in his heart, started walking within six months. His health showed remarkable improvement. Avnish is now in Kindergarten and thriving. All of this was nothing short of a miracle.”

Aditya, we celebrate your open heart and your fight for vulnerable children. THANK YOU for being a champion in the world!!!  

Check out his inspirational TED talk about adoption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRQCgh_tNjM