Ep 70: ‘Single Papa’ Aditya Tiwari: Adoption, Down Syndrome, and an Everest dream
Mon Jan 12 2026
“It’s the child who gives birth to the parent,” says Aditya Tiwari, who adopted his son Avnish, now almost 11, as a single father at the age of 28 in 2016, after a long legal battle. Today, Avnish, who was born with a hole in his heart and has Down Syndrome, has trekked to the Everest Base Camp at the age of seven, and is the youngest National awardee.
Here, while Aditya talks about the practicalities of bringing up a special child and meeting developmental milestones with support from experts, the joy of watching his child thrive is unmissable.
Listen in as the Indore-based software professional discusses his hopes and dreams for Avnish, and the inherent bias that favours women as parental figures!
Follow Aditya Tiwari on: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
Related episode: Ep 66: Arun Dohle, Adoptee Rights Council: How he met his mother
Timestamps:
02:04 Preparing for the Everest Base Camp
06:52 Creating support systems for his special child Avnish
09:35 Likes playing drums, explore nature, etc
11:30 Importance of spending quality time with a child
13:50 Meeting milestones and therapies
18:40 Accepting a Down Syndrome child, don’t look for a miracle
21:19 Living in the present
23:06 Guardianship; concerns about securing Avnish’s future
28:20 Creating support systems as a single parent
30:20 Questions raised on adoption initially; adoption gives one choice
32:10 Meeting Avnish as a baby in the orphanage and the legal battle to adopt
34:56 Single men face a bias as adoptive parents
37:27 Mindset barrier when it comes to fathers over mothers
39:19 Avnish’s health challenges
41:40 Challenges of claiming medical insurance
45:17 Honing Avnish’s skills with help from experts
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.
Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
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“It’s the child who gives birth to the parent,” says Aditya Tiwari, who adopted his son Avnish, now almost 11, as a single father at the age of 28 in 2016, after a long legal battle. Today, Avnish, who was born with a hole in his heart and has Down Syndrome, has trekked to the Everest Base Camp at the age of seven, and is the youngest National awardee. Here, while Aditya talks about the practicalities of bringing up a special child and meeting developmental milestones with support from experts, the joy of watching his child thrive is unmissable. Listen in as the Indore-based software professional discusses his hopes and dreams for Avnish, and the inherent bias that favours women as parental figures! Follow Aditya Tiwari on: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram Related episode: Ep 66: Arun Dohle, Adoptee Rights Council: How he met his mother Timestamps: 02:04 Preparing for the Everest Base Camp 06:52 Creating support systems for his special child Avnish 09:35 Likes playing drums, explore nature, etc 11:30 Importance of spending quality time with a child 13:50 Meeting milestones and therapies 18:40 Accepting a Down Syndrome child, don’t look for a miracle 21:19 Living in the present 23:06 Guardianship; concerns about securing Avnish’s future 28:20 Creating support systems as a single parent 30:20 Questions raised on adoption initially; adoption gives one choice 32:10 Meeting Avnish as a baby in the orphanage and the legal battle to adopt 34:56 Single men face a bias as adoptive parents 37:27 Mindset barrier when it comes to fathers over mothers 39:19 Avnish’s health challenges 41:40 Challenges of claiming medical insurance 45:17 Honing Avnish’s skills with help from experts Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised. Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5