Aditya Tiwari was granted his son's custody in 2016, after one and a half years of struggle (File)
Aditya Tiwari, a Pune resident who adopted a child with Down syndrome in 2016 will be felicitated with "Best Mommy of the World" award on the occasion of International Women's Day on Sunday.
Mr Tiwari who has been taking care of his son as a single parent believes that parenting is not gender-based.
"I got Avnish's legal custody on January 1, 2016, after one and a half years of struggle. Since then our journey has been very adventurous. He is one of the best gifts from the god and I feel blessed. I have never put myself into any character of a mother or father, I have always tried to become a good parent for him and a good human being," Aditya Tiwari told ANI.
"Avnish has taught me how to become a parent. It is a stereotype that only a female can take care of a child because of which I had to face a lot of issues during the adoption. The best part is that Avnish has accepted me as a parent," he added.
Aditya Tiwari had quit his job with an IT firm after adopting Avnish and started counselling parents of children with special needs. He was also invited to the United Nations to participate in a conference on ways to bring up a child with intellectual disabilities.