Muslim Couple Adopts Hindu Sons: Marries Son as Hindu Rituals After 20 Years
A Muslim family in Belagavi raised two Hindu boys as their own after a tragedy and later arranged one son’s wedding, showing humanity above religion.
A heartwarming story from Belagavi shows how humanity can go beyond religion and bring people together.
Around 20 years ago, two close friends, Shivanand Kadayya Pujeri and Mehboob Hasan Naikwadi, worked as private bus drivers and shared a strong bond. Their families were also very close. However, tragedy struck when Shivanand and his wife died in a road accident, leaving behind their two young sons, Somashekar and Vasant.
With no relatives coming forward to take care of the children, Mehboob and his wife Noorjan made a life-changing decision. Despite already having five children and living a simple life, they decided to adopt the two boys and raise them as their own.
Even though Mehboob’s family is Muslim and the boys are Hindu, they chose to focus on humanity over religion. Over the years, both children were raised with love, care and equal opportunities along with Mehboob’s own children.
As they grew up, Somashekar completed his BSc, while Vasant finished his pre-university education. Both later found jobs at Aequs, an aerospace manufacturing company based in Belagavi.
When Somashekar reached marriage age, Mehboob and his family took responsibility to find a suitable match. They travelled to Tanwad village in Maharashtra and finalised his marriage with Poonam, who belongs to the Veerashaiva Lingayat community.
On 8 February, Somashekar and Poonam got married in a traditional Hindu ceremony following Veerashaiva Lingayat customs. Members of the Muslim community played a big role in organising the wedding, while Mehboob’s family managed all arrangements and welcomed guests.
The story has been widely appreciated by people and even politicians, who praised Mehboob and his wife for their kindness and humanity. Now 70 years old, Mehboob says he is looking forward to arranging the wedding of his younger adopted son, Vasant.
