On February 8, a touching tale played out in the Karnataka-Maharashtra border town of Hukkeri in the Belagavi region. Mehboob Hasan Naikwadi, a retired KSRTC driver, along with Noor Jahan, arranged the marriage of their adopted son Somashekar Pujeri with Poonam. The celebration was attended with joy and held a place in mind as a demonstration of compassion, cohesiveness, and brotherhood.
The marriage was conducted according to Veerashaiva Lingayat rituals, with a family friend performing all the religious ceremonies. The Naikwadis did not put up a good show; instead they took up residence on the by‑lanes, welcoming guests and ensuring the arrangements fell into place. Community leaders, including Basavaprabhu Vantamuri, attended the wedding and held the couple up as a model for society at a time when communal tensions were on the rise.
Tragedy struck twenty years ago when Somashekar and his younger brother, Vasant, lost their parents in a road accident. They couldn’t be cared for by their immediate relatives, and the Naikwadis took over. Mehboob Naikwadi was a friend of the boys’ father, Shivanand Kadayya Pujeri, and, not having relatives to go with, Naikwadi and his wife adopted the children out of pure kindness.
By then, the Naikwadis already had children of their own, but they raised the two orphaned boys with equal care, giving them education, shelter and guidance. Such a selfless act brought dignity and opportunity to the boys growing up.
Somashekar graduated with a BSc and now works for a Belagavi-based aviation company. The Naikwadis had begun seeking alliances when he reached marriageable age. Through references, they got connected to Poonam’s family in Tanwad village, Gadhinglaj taluk, Maharashtra. Poonam, part of the Veerashaiva Lingayat family, was his bride, a marriage that combined traditionalism with compassion.
Mr. Naikwadi, in his 70s, said he was proud of the wedding and was hopeful to help arrange Vasant’s wedding, along with his other adopted son. He said humbly, “Nothing special occurs to my wife and me in what we have done. I think this country is like brother brother sister to all these people. I'm very happy that these children have been brought up in my house, got proper education and found jobs for themselves. I will leave this world, relieved to have done my job.”
The Hukkeri wedding was not just a family celebration; it embodied humanity, altruism, and solidarity. The Naikwadis’ story reminds us that love cuts across religion, community, and all other lines that separate the faithful groups in faith, and that family is founded on love and care of family members in sharing responsibilities instead of expectations, in showing altruistic kindness and selflessness in the name of mutual good.
