Karnataka: Muslim arranges Hindu foster daughter’s marriage in her faith

VIJAYAPURA: A Muslim guardian of a Hindu girl oversaw her wedding to a Hindu man – a ceremony that was conducted in strict adherence to Vedic rituals in Vijayapura district.
Pooja Vadageri was all of seven when she was left orphaned, and Mehaboob Masali, one of her neighbours in Alamela in Vijayapura district, decided to take her into his home. There, Pooja grew up very much as a member of the household. On her coming of age, Mehaboob and members of his family helped her marry a man from her own faith.
An electrical contractor, Mehaboob said that he could not stand to see Pooja, who was abandoned to her fate after none of her relatives agreed to take on the responsibility of raising her. “We raised her as our own, and she grew up as my child. Initially, she was extremely upset over losing both her parents, and struggled to come to terms with her reality. It was also a difficult time for us, to console her,” Mehaboob told TOI.
Living under Mehaboob’s roof, there was no pressure on Pooja to adopt the customs of Islam. “Each of us at home respected her right to her religion, and ensured she could continue to follow her faith while living amongst us,” he said.
The Good Samaritan began looking for a groom for Pooja once she turned 18, and alighted on Shankar, who belongs to the same caste as she does. Shankar, who works at a seed production unit in Vijayapura town, married Pooja on July 30 in a Hindu ceremony. The wedding was attended by members of both Hindu and Muslim communities, who blessed the bride and groom.
Mehaboob said that they spent around Rs 1.5 lakh on the event.
A grateful Pooja said, “I grew up with a Muslim family for more than 11 years. When my relatives refused to look after me following my parents’ death, Mehaboob’s family took me in, and raised me as a daughter of the household. Never was I forced to follow their faith, and I was given all I needed to practice my own. Lastly, they married to a Hindu man in a Vedic wedding ceremony.”