This beautiful story has a simple, yet important message. I hope as many people as possible give it a read. I know I am happy I read it, as it gave me a few things to think about in my own life. Sometimes it is the simplest of stories that make us ponder the most.
Source…..www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan
Every time our readers like and share TBI stories they are not just spreading positivity and hope, they are also creating an impact that may not at first be visible. Here’s one such story, of a young adoptive parent to a special child, which went viral and created ripples greater than we had imagined.
On January 1, 2016, Aditya Tiwari became the youngest single adoptive parent in India by legally adopting a special child Binny. He named him Avnish.
On January 12, 2016, we wrote about ‘How Aditya Fought All Odds to Become India’s Youngest Single Parent to Adopt a Special Child’ and, like always, our readers helped us spread this positive story like wildfire. The article got lakhs of views and 33,000+ shares too (so far).
Avnish turned two on March 16, 2016. On this occasion, his father Aditya could not thank you all more for the huge impact you created simply by clicking ‘share’ on his story.
Here are some of the things that have happened in his life since the story was published on TBI:
2. Aditya benefitted too. NGOs and physiotherapists reached out to support him.
The NGOs that had special kids helped him learn more about the disability and ways to deal with it, whereas many physiotherapists offered to treat Avnish for free.
“Ms. Rekha Ramchandran from Down Syndrome Federation of India called me after reading your article. Since then she is supporting me in any way possible to nurture Avnish,” Aditya informed The Better India.
In our previous article we had explained how Aditya had to fight a legal battle because the age bar for single adoptive parents in India was 30 and he was just 27 when he decided to adopt Avnish. He kept fighting the system until the age limit was reduced to 25.
“Atul Vidyalaya, Valsad, Gujarat, invited me as a chief guest on January 26, 2016. I was surprised by this and asked them why I was selected, as I had done nothing other than just adopting a child. The Principal replied that it was not just an adoption but it was a trend-setting decision and the struggle behind it makes me a hero. He said he would like the children of his school to become like me. That was the biggest compliment I could ever get,” says Aditya.
During his struggle to adopt Avnish, Aditya came to know about 30 other kids who were illegally being sent to foreign countries. The adoption agency was reported and its licence was cancelled.
These 30 kids are legally registered now and a few of them have also been adopted.
After word spread, an NGO called Palawi from Pandharpur, Maharashtra, which had 98 HIV positive children, called Aditya. They told him these kids were not allowed to go to regular schools and were not accepted by society either, so the NGO had an in-house school and orphanage for them. However, these kids also long to have families but the NGO does not have permission to give them for adoption. Aditya, who is well-versed with adoption proceedings and laws by now, asked them to send all the documents immediately. He then forwarded them to CARA and the Central Government. Aditya is now fighting for the rights of these kids.
“It used to be that previously, if a child was born to an HIV positive mother, he/she used to be infected too. But now, with proper medication and good care, these babies become negative within 18 months. There are many parents who are ready to adopt these kids but we do not have the permission to give them for adoption. Being in a remote area, we explained our concern to the local authorities but did not know any other further procedures. My mother read the article about the legal battle that Aditya Ji fought for Avnish. So we called him to seek help. And he has been a great support since then,” says Dimple Ghadge of Palawi.
Aditya’s story became an interesting project for law students, who found an opportunity to learn about the adoption law through him. A few documentaries have already been made by law students on Aditya and Avnish – among these are two by LLM Pune University and Jai Hind College, Mumbai. Bhopal Jagran Lake City University is also making a film on them.
Friday magazine- UAE
Aditya’s story reached foreign shores, and was also published in several magazines of UK and U.A.E, after which many foreign nationals called him to seek help with the adoption procedure in India. Aditya was more than happy to help them.
You might soon watch a film based on the life of Aditya and Avnish – a well-known Bollywood production house and a regional production house too have contacted him for the same.
Binny, who is Aditya’s son Avnish Tiwari now, has shown tremendous improvement since he became a part of Aditya’s family.
“I met the parents of a 10-year-old child with Down’s Syndrome before I adopted Avnish. They told me how difficult it is to raise such children. Avnish had 70-80% Down’s Syndrome. The doctors told me that he would never be able to walk in his life. But in just three months it seems his Down’s Syndrome is just 15-20%. He can hold and stand and tries to stand without support too sometimes. The parents of the 10-year-old child were surprised to see this and have invited me home to help them. My son has set an example for everyone,” says Aditya with a smile.
Source….Manabi Katoch in http://www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
The life of Prahlada is a testament of real devotion to God. Though severely tortured by his father, Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada stood firm as a rock, steadfast in his devotion to Vishnu. At a tender age, Prahlada planted God firmly in his heart and withstood every storm and stress. Physical afflictions had no effect on him and did not reduce his devotion. The mind steeped in the Love of God is beyond any shock and strain like the chloroformed patient who is oblivious of the incisions made by the surgical instruments. Only Love of this kind can ultimately be victorious. But today, the devotion of the people wavers with every trying circumstance. When our wishes are fulfilled, we install many photographs for worship; and when our wishes are not fulfilled, we throw out the photographs. Pain is a part of life and must be accepted at any cost. Pleasure is an interval between two pains.
True learning is like an X-ray camera, which lays bare the innermost details with perfect fidelity. Our mind should be like an X-ray with Love as the film, such that it captures the entire personality of a being with accuracy. An X-ray machine without film is of no use, as nothing can be captured then. Love must be abiding and eternal. But today the love of people is transient and ephemeral, and may expire at any time. It is not at all worthy of being called Love. True Love endures trial and turbulence, loss, and pain, and transcends every trying circumstance. Never forget God under any circumstance, however difficult it might be. Our Love for God should survive every onslaught, and resist all the ravages of time and the vicissitudes of life. Our Love should not change and float with every passing wind. The lives of great devotees demonstrate to us how firm and strong our devotion should be
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You spend a great deal of time to acquire some material object or other. How much time do you devote to thoughts of God? You shed tears profusely to experience a pleasure related to the senses. Do you shed a single tear for experiencing God? How then can you realise God? Today Bhakthi (devotion) has become a mass-produced manufactured product. But are the devotees practicing what they profess? Without practice, can the fruits of devotion be realised? The 12th Canto of the Bhagavad Gita clearly describes the qualities of a true devotee. The primary virtue is absence of hatred towards any living thing: Cultivate Universal Love (Advesta-sarva-bhutanam). Avoid causing harm to others. Do not speak ill of any one. Give up pride and egoism. Cultivate purity of thought, speech and action. Spirituality is not separate from other aspects of life. Spirituality permeates everything.
Without faith in God, all other possessions are of no avail. Take the example of Duryodhana, who was the lord of an empire. Both Duryodhana and Arjuna went to Krishna before the Kurukshetra battle. Duryodhana wanted only Krishna’s army on his side. Arjuna was content to have Krishna alone on his side. This was enough to secure for him victory in the war. All the armies Duryodhana had were of no avail. Duryodhana relied on the clever strategies of his uncle, Shakuni. He had no faith in the divine intelligence of Krishna. The lesson that everyone must learn from this episode is that they must rely, not on their cleverness but on the guidance of their higher intelligence, which transcends ordinary reason and thinking. They should seek the support of That which sustains everything in creation. Place your trust in God.
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There is no love between the husband and the wife before they are married. There is no love between the mother and the child before the birth of the child. The son, though he loved his mother with all his heart, flings her body onto the burning pyre and consigns her to the flames without any mercy after death. How can such love be called true Love? All such relationships can at best be termed attachment and not Love. Attachments come in the middle and pass off in the middle. But Divine Love existed even before birth and will last after death. Attachments are like passing clouds that sail away quickly. True Love is uncontaminated, unsoiled, unadulterated, unpolluted, eternal, perennial, pure and unsullied. It is only Divine Love that is not tainted by selfishness and self-interest, and exists before birth and lasts after death. All other kinds of love are stained by selfishness.
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Everyone must face the consequences of their misdeeds, one day or other, because every action has a reaction, resound and reflection. The awareness of this fact on the part of one and all will bring abundant peace and harmony. Human beings are endowed with endless strength. Your body is indeed a massive generator. Your face is like a television-set, with vivid expressions. But human beings have lost their value in the world today. It is human beings who lend value to a diamond. It is a human being who unearths a raw stone and turns it into a priceless diamond after processing and polishing it. Though people have been able to transform a cheap raw stone into an invaluable diamond, they themselves choose to have no intrinsic value in spite of contributing much to the value-addition of the diamond.
I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma on the wall, which bore his full name.
Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class, some 30-odd years ago.
Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on way back then? Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man was way too old to have been my classmate.
After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Northmont high school.
“Yes. Yes, I did. I’m a thunderbolt,” he said gleaming with pride.
“When did you graduate?” I asked.
He answered, “in 1975. Why do you ask?”
“You were in my class!”, I exclaimed.
He looked at me closely, then, the ugly, old, bald, wrinkle-faced, fat, gray-haired, decrepit fool asked, “What did you teach?”!!!!
Source…….www.ba-bamail.com
Natarajan
Human life by itself is very sacred. But it becomes good or bad according to the company with which it is associated. When you keep iron in dust, it gets rusted. But when the same iron is put in fire, it gets rid of its rust, becomes soft, and starts shining. Particles of dust rise up in the sky in the company of wind but fall down into gutter when they are associated with rainwater. The dust particles do not have wings to fly up in the sky, nor have they feet to jump down. Both, their rise and their fall happen by the effect of the company. Your good or bad depends upon the type of company you join. Good company makes you sacred and divine. Bad company gives rise to bad feelings and bad thoughts, which prompt you to perform bad deeds. Therefore, it is essential for you to join good company and develop your humanness.
Take off with Natarajan 