In the heart of the nation, New Delhi, he was born to Kunti Devi and Rajpal Shastri on 16 November 1970. Rajpal Shastri was a teacher and literary figure of English, Hindi and Sanskrit. Kunti Devi was a dedicated homemaker. Hailing from Luharheri, near Rohtak (Haryana), she was born in Rawalpindi (part of the united British India), she was a rather progressive lady. He feels blessed to have learned a lot from her, including relationship maintenance even when not agreeing on things.
Aditya is the youngest among four sisters and three brothers. His childhood was filled with the stories of the golden phase of India and his grandfather, Mahashay Gangaram, a freedom fighter. Mesmerising the audience with elocution, he was given the prestigious title of ‘Mahashaya’. His grandmother, Mukhtiyar Kaur, was a homemaker.
The elder Tawatias valued education and ensured the best of it for all their kids. They ensured the kids were aware of the latest happenings and affairs of India. The successful leadership of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth prime minister of India, and KP Singh, the CEO of DLF Ltd., both of whom share the same surnames and belong to the same belt of western Uttar Pradesh as Aditya, inspired the entire family. Aditya’s father taught him to play an active part in society and serve the community in his best capacity. He often bunked school to watch Hindi movies. Not only was he the school president, but also actively participated in debates. As a president, he delivered a powerful speech on anti-1984 riots. After schooling at Swatantra Bharat Mills, Delhi, he finished his electronics and telecommunication engineering from Delhi. Apart from studies and leadership activities, cricket kept him occupied during the tedious days. He is fond of Mehdi Hassan’s ghazals and likes to listen to saxophone playing and favourite music genre is blues.
Leadership came naturally to him. Not only was he the school president, but also actively participated in debates on sensitive topics. His speeches and debates often gave others some food for thought and it soon became the seed-germination of his desire to do something for society at large. His idols are Chaudhary Charan Singh, Abraham Lincoln, Maharaja Surajmal, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Martin Luther King Jr. and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Finding positivity even in the darkest hour, he awaits no day or night to help people. He narrates an incident. “Once Sarojini Naidu and Mahatma Gandhi were sitting together when he received a letter in which the sender had abused him. But he kept on smiling. Ultimately, he took the paper pin out and threw the paper. Naidu ji asked him why he wasn’t perturbed. To which, he replied that he had managed drawing something useful – the pin – from the entire trash.” Creativity is in finding positivity in negativity.
Building his fate on foreign land, he reached Canada in the mid-1990s and embraced the new lifestyle and culture without compromising on Indian values. His father’s endurance and his mother’s unwavering abutment inspired him to achieve success. Aditya successfully settled in but it was time to set his feet in Canada.
Business blues
He took the road in the capacity of a publisher of a weekly English newspaper – The Link – in 1998. This was his beginning towards helping communities come together. He did his best to eradicate misconception and misinformation about India in Canada. He elevated the discourse of journalism by the medium of The Link.
In very early stages of his arrival in Canada, he emphasised in Hindu-Sikh unity as an eminent necessity and in a socio-political term he narrated that Hindu and Sikh are international minorities and should be working together for the betterment of relationship between India and Canada.
There were times when the business was difficult and tides were against him but he didn’t cease to put in his best efforts. While Aditya Tawatia is a brand now, it has experienced its share of lows too. Even in the face of adversities, he kept the values taught by his parents intact. Thanking the almighty, he shares, “I’ve had various chances to shape my life in Canada. There are millions who even didn’t get a chance to stand out from the lot. Problems did come my way, but I feel God has been kind; He has held my hand and helped me sail through the hard times”.
Bridging the gap
He shares that he has always found India and Canada as the most natural partners. To strengthen this bond at a larger level and also to better the image of India among Canadians, he was still looking for means and modes. With his real-estate firm, Aditya Tawatia Personal Real Estate Corporation, he found the strong footing that he needed to start building on his dream and as a tool to serve the community. Aditya has made this beautiful country his home and dedicatedly worked for the growth of both the countries. Regardless of his work and designations, he has consistently served the community in Canada.
Having founded the Yoga and Health Expo Foundation in 2015, a Canada-based non-profit organisation, he has successfully hosted seven events till now. He believes that with practicing yoga, one can be a very vibrant part of the society and live a dashing and healthy lifestyle in accordance with Mother Nature and also contribute to nature. His vision is to help people experience the yogic way of life and an everlasting holistic approach to life by enhancing health through practicing yoga, meditation, veganism, vegetarianism and environmental awareness. Yogic way of life is a wholesome lifestyle that propagates the awareness about being a sensible and contributing citizen of this world.
Prior to this, he delved deep into relationship building as the president of the Canada India Global Forum, British Columbia, a federal entity that promotes trade and people to people contact.
As an Indo-Canadian, he is constantly working in the betterment of society with the help of Indian values.