A Muslim couple in Karnataka’s Belagavi district raised two orphaned Hindu brothers alongside their own five children for nearly two decades, after the boys lost their parents. Mehboob Hasan Naikwadi, a retired KSRTC driver, and his wife Noor Jahan took Somashekar and Vasant into their home when they were just four and two years old respectively.
On February 8, 2026, the couple helped arrange Somashekar’s wedding to Poonam in Hukkeri, with the ceremony conducted according to Veerashaiva Lingayat traditions. Mehboob and Noor Jahan performed the role of the groom’s parents, while members of both Hindu and Muslim communities participated in the celebrations. Mehboob said he considers the brothers no different from his own children and is now looking forward to arranging Vasant’s wedding as well.
A Promise Became Family
The story goes back nearly 20 years, when Mehboob and Noor Jahan’s close friend Shivanand Kadayya Pujeri and his wife died, leaving their two young sons without parents. Shivanand and Mehboob were both associated with the transport sector and their families lived in the same area. Reports state that attempts were initially made to find relatives who could take responsibility for the children, but no immediate family member came forward. The Naikwadis then decided to take the brothers into their home.
This was not an easy decision. Mehboob and Noor Jahan already had five children of their own , four sons and a daughter. Nevertheless, they chose to raise Somashekar and Vasant alongside their biological children. The boys became part of a household where seven children grew up together, with the Naikwadis providing for their education and everyday needs.
A later report by Clarion India said the boys’ mother, Sheela, had entrusted her children to Noor Jahan before her death and that Noor Jahan had promised to care for them. This account adds another layer to the decision, although details surrounding the parents’ deaths vary across later reports.
Children Grew Into Adults
The Naikwadis did not stop at providing the brothers with shelter. They ensured that Somashekar and Vasant received an education and grew up with their Hindu and Lingayat identity. Somashekar completed a BSc, while Vasant completed his pre-university education. The Federal reported that both brothers later found employment at Aequs, an aerospace manufacturing company based in Belagavi.
For the brothers, the family relationship was not defined by religion. Somashekar has been quoted in later reporting as saying that he and his brother never felt they were outsiders in the household and that the Naikwadis supported their education, needs and lives just as they did their own children.
Mehboob similarly explained, “I feel that all human beings are the same.” He said the two boys had grown up in their house like their own children and that watching Somashekar get married made him feel as proud as he would have felt marrying off his own children.
Parents Arranged His Wedding
When Somashekar reached marriageable age, Mehboob and Noor Jahan once again stepped into their parental role. Along with family friends, they travelled to Tanwad village in Maharashtra’s Gadhinglaj taluk in search of a suitable alliance. They eventually finalised his marriage with Poonam, who belongs to a Veerashaiva Lingayat family.
The wedding took place in Hukkeri on February 8, 2026, and was conducted according to Veerashaiva Lingayat customs, reflecting Somashekar’s religious and cultural background. Mehboob and Noor Jahan welcomed guests and participated in the arrangements as the groom’s parents. Members of the Muslim community also played a role in organising and supporting the ceremony, while people from both communities attended and blessed the newlyweds.
Basavaprabhu Vantamuri, Belagavi district president of the Karnataka District Farmers’ Association, praised the Naikwadis and described their actions as an example for society at a time when religious tensions remain a concern.
Humanity Beyond Religious Lines
For Mehboob, however, the story is not about performing an extraordinary act. Speaking to reporters after the wedding, he said he believed everyone in the country was like a brother or sister and that he was simply happy the children had grown up, received an education and found employment. He added that he would be satisfied knowing he had done his duty and was looking forward to Vasant’s wedding too.
The significance of the story lies precisely in its ordinariness. The Naikwadis did not ask the two boys to abandon their religious identity in order to become part of their family. Instead, they raised them, educated them and eventually helped organise a wedding that honoured the traditions with which the brothers had grown up.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At a time when religious identity is often used to emphasise differences, the Naikwadi family offers a different picture of what coexistence can look like. Their nearly two-decade journey shows that harmony is not always created through grand declarations; sometimes it is built quietly through food shared at home, children educated together, responsibilities accepted and promises kept. Mehboob and Noor Jahan respected the boys’ faith while giving them the same place in their family as their own children.
Their story does not erase religious differences; it shows that those differences need not prevent people from caring for one another. What can we learn from families like the Naikwadis about living with difference while choosing compassion?
