Mehboob Hasan and Noorjan, with their adopted son Somashekhar and his newlywed wife, at their marriage event in Belagavi, Karnataka, on February 8, 2026.
In rare harmony, Belagavi Muslim couple raises Hindu orphans, holds Lingayat wedding
Mehboob and Noorjan Naikwadi did not think twice to take responsibility of two brothers who lost their parents early despite having their own five kids
In these times of intense religious polarisation, a story of a Muslim family from Bastawada village in north-west Karnataka’s Belagavi district raising two orphaned Hindu children healthily along with their own and now marrying them off as per Hindu traditions has won hearts all over.
Somasekhar and Vasantha, who belong to the Lingayat community, found themselves blessed at a young age when Mehboob Hasan Naikwadi and his wife Noorjan came to their rescue after the brothers lost their biological parents all of a sudden.
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Their late father, Shivananda Kadayya Poojara, was a private bus driver, as was Mehboob, who worked for the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation. Both families are residents of the same village.
Muslim parents raise Hindu boys along with their 5 kids
It was not an easy decision for the Naikwadi family to make since they themselves have five children, four boys and a girl. But seeing the helpless kids, the couple could not deny their humanitarian duty and raised all seven children together. Somasekhar went on to graduate while Vasanth completed his pre-university course. Both of them currently work in Aequs, a Belagavi-based company that manufactures aerospace components and is a bright light of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
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However, Mehboob and Noorjan’s duties were not finished even after the brothers secured employment. On Sunday (February 8), the family saw the elder one, Somashekhar, getting married at a marriage hall in the village. The ceremony turned out to be a unique one. Despite it being held as per Hindu traditions, members from the Muslim community played a major role, including the organisers and sponsors. The relatives of the Naikwadi family also contributed by welcoming the guests.
'All human beings are same'
Speaking on their responsibility and the unique marriage ceremony, Mahboob said the Hindu children they took care of were no less than their own. Speaking to The Federal, he said, “I feel that all human beings are the same. Both these children have grown up in our house like our children. Watching their wedding today, I feel as proud as if I had married my own children.”
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Basavaprabhu Vantamuri, Belagavi district president of the Karnataka District Farmers' Association, praised the Naikwadi family for the role it played in an era of religious tension and felt it should be a model for the entire country. Local villagers and people from both communities also showered the newlywed couple and the veteran Muslim parents with blessings. Bastawada indeed remained witness to the fact that human ties can be much bigger than blood ties.
(This article was first published in The Federal Karnataka.)