My Son Aman

Amanpreet Singh Chowdhury was born on 30 September 1994 to Rajeev and Mona Chowdhury. His sister, Sujaya, had been born 15 months earlier.

When Aman arrived, his parents were in the process of divorcing. Rajeev said, "At the time my son was born, my wife and I were going through a period where we needed some peace. We were heading for a divorce and our son seemed to be the element of peace that brought us together so that we could come up with an amicable decision as to how we would separate … in fact my son's name is Amanpreet, and Aman means, 'one who brings peace'."

Though Rajeev took physical custody of Sujaya and Aman, their mother remained a large part of their lives. When she lived nearby, the children visited frequently. After she remarried she became Monica Lyon and moved to Alaska. The two siblings travelled to visit her many times. Sujaya and Aman also had frequent visits and support from their grandparents Rupa Chowdhury and Inderjit and Surjit Soin. The children never lacked for love and attention.

Growing up as the children of a single parent, they often accompanied their father to events. Sujaya said, "In our household growing up, we basically went everywhere my father went. That was basically our playground, my father's life."

Rajeev hired a computer tutor for Sujaya and Aman when he was 5. His tutor, Joy, sent a note home one day reading, "This is just a note to let you know that Aman had a wonderful class and had success in nearly everything he tried today. I'm proud of you Aman!"

At the age of 4, Aman started piano lessons. His studies carried forward for many years and he gave several recitals.

When Sujaya was 7 and Aman 6, Rajeev enrolled them in Big Brothers Big Sisters, a program that matches children of single parents with adults who help fill the gap when a second parent is not in the household. Aman became a poster child and spent many fun filled times with his big sister, Lindsay.

Aman was born into a household with many pets. One was a dog named Kaylon. He was a large, golden retriever who was gentle and friendly. Kaylon went on many trips with them.

Rajeev and Mona, along with both sets of grandparents, wanted Aman and Sujaya to embrace their Indian heritage. Their maternal grandparents brought them traditional clothing from India. Aman and Sujaya attended Hindi language lessons at a local Hindu temple and earned certificates of accomplishment for which they were both proud.

Over the years, Aman joined his father's Scottish Country Dancing group, became involved in taekwondo and visited his uncle in Ottawa where he and Sujaya skated on the Rideau Canal and visited Parliament. The family went on several cruises. They rode horses in Mexico on one and visited Alaska during another.

Aman developed a love of movies. His first job was at an Empire theatre where he excelled in customer service. His favorite genre is horror, but he enjoys all movies including science fiction and foreign films. He has a large collection of DVD and Blu-ray movies as well as memorabilia that includes posters, a replica of the 'shaving can' from Jurassic Park that was used to smuggle out the dinosaur embryos and an eye of HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Aman entered Acadia University with the intent of earning a business degree, but his early interest in computers called to him. He enrolled in the Nova Scotia Community College and earned a diploma in Information Technology — System Management/Networking, graduating on 9 June 2016.

He applied for a job at NTT Data, one of the world's leading IT companies, and was hired as a Systems Analyst I. Aman and his entire family were thrilled. It is the perfect job in a field he loves. He has moved out of the family house and now lives in his own apartment in Halifax. Aman's family wishes him all the success for a bright future.