He was born on September 11, 2001 and his arrival prevented the death of his uncle in the Twin Towers of New York.

Anish Shrivastava He is not a totally equal young man. Shrivastava was one of the nearly 13,000 children born in the United States the same day as Al Qaida crashed two planes In twin towers of new york where they died 3000 people.

His arrival on September 11, 2001 Probably saved his uncle’s life, who worked in the World Trade Center and decided not to go that day to attend his birth. This is why, for his father, his existence “is a message of hope”.

Shrivastava was born at 10:05 am this tuesday 20 years ago in one Princeton Hospital, New Jersey, very close to new York. The south tower had fallen six minutes earlier and the The north tower would collapse just over an hour later. In the waiting room of the hospital his father Ashish And his brother, ManishThey never took their eyes off the television.

Manish, Shrivastava’s uncle, I was horrified how much the tower in which his office was located was turning into rubble and toxic ash. On a whim, she had made the last minute decision to cancel a meeting I had there that morning so that she could welcome her nephew into the world.

“We are bound by fate. We are very close “Shrivastava said of his uncle. Her mother Jaya says that she expected her son to be born on September 21 or 22. “I was there for a reason,” Jaya told AFP.

Shrivastava was a child when he heard of the catastrophic events happened on day he was born. Shortly before he started going to school, his parents decided to tell him, rudely, the story of that trip, before I heard it from other people.

Para Ashish, it was important to tell your child not only about the tragedy, but also tell him about the “positives” he has generated: volunteers, heroes, moments of unity.

As Shrivastava prepares to turn 20, he says chose not to mark his birthday on the actual date. “Obviously, that day we didn’t celebrate. We usually try to wait a few days for that, ”he says.

Instead, Shrivastava regularly collaborates as a volunteer for the non-profit organization MyGoodDeed, who offers charity services on September 11, which include food distribution.

“I tried to give back to the community … obviously honoring the dead, but also learning the lesson that we can rebuild something betterHe reflects.

Through MyBuilder, Shrivastava met others born on September 11. Like many young people of his age, he loves video games, music and reading. But her father believes that the weight of the date of birth made these young people mature faster than the rest of their generation.

‘Connected’ in New York:

“His way of thinking about life is something different, and I see it in a very positive way. These guys really brought a ray of hope to this societyAshish says.

The date of birth “had an impact on my mentality, on what is my role”, explains the young man. “I just learned what I learned at birth that day and how it shaped me, it gave me that goal, one day, to help people somehow “, Add.

Shrivastava admits he won’t necessarily open a food bank or something like that, but wants to make a difference “in a real way”.

For now, he is concentrating on his studies. Accepted by various universities, Shrivastava chose to study at three hours north of Manhattan. Once you graduate in finance, probably in 2023, you no longer see yourself working anywhere other than in the World Trade Center city. “I feel like I’m connected to New York in a lot of ways,” he concludes.