LOVE IS… CHANGING THE LAW

It was love at first sight for both of them. Hewas a 26-year-old, single software engineer who was visiting an orphanage to give out gifts and sweets to the children. The object of his affection? A six-month-old baby boy who’d been abandoned by his parents after he was born with Down’s Syndrome and a hole in his heart. He’d been languishing in his cot when he spotted the kind stranger – and they made an instant connection. ‘It was a look of desperately wanting to be loved,’ Aditya Tiwari told Friday. ‘I just felt I couldn’t leave him ever.’

He still lived with his parents, had no intention of gettingmarried anytime soon or starting a family yet, but the bachelor had an overwhelming feeling that he should help Avnish. And there was only oneway to do that – adopt him. So, he applied to the authorities who refused his request because hewas single and too young. An unmarried man in India had to be 30 to adopt, but Aditya wasn’t going to give up. He says, ‘I was determined to take him home as my son and provide himwith expert medical care.’

Aditya spent the next 15 months fighting the authorities and after a change in the law – lowering the age a bachelor can adopt in India to 25 – finally took little Avnish home. Find out how the pair is doing in our exclusive feature on page 22.

Also, we’re celebrating everything to do with romance in this V-Day issue. Check out your love horoscopes on page 38 and the most romantic hotels in the UAE in our staycations special on page 76. There’s bound to be one you’ll fall for.

Until next week,

Karen Pasquali Jones Editor kpasqualijones@gulfnews.com

Ad it ya still lived with HIS PARENTS, had no intention of MARRYING anytime soon or starting a FAMILY, but the BACHELOR felt an OVERWHELMING desire to HELP Av ni sh–by ADOPTING him