In Karnataka’s Vijayapura, a Muslim man, Mehboob Masli who had looked after an orphaned Hindu girl, Pooja Vadigeri married her off to a Hindu groom in accordance with Vedic traditions on Friday.
Masli is the guardian of an 18-year-old Hindu girl, Pooja who recently got married. He performed and facilitated her marriage to a Hindu man as per customs and traditions.
Since a decade, orphaned Pooja has been taken care off by Masli as a father after her own relatives refused to bring her up.
However, Masli, a father of two daughters and two sons, decided to bring Pooja home. “It was my responsibility to marry her off to a man from the religion she belongs to,” he said.
“She lived in my home for over a decade but I never forced her to practise our religion (Islam) or to marry a Muslim man. It is against the principles of our religion,” Masli noted.
Talking to ANI, he said that the groom’s parents happily accepted Pooja without demanding any dowry. Masli further requested people to live in harmony amongst diverse communities. “I want to give a message to society that everyone should live in harmony,” he added.
Mehboob Masli is known in the city for performing many social services and events that promote communal harmony. He is also popularly known for organising Ganapati programs in the town.
Expressing her gratitude, Pooja said, “I am very much blessed to have such great parents with great heart who took care of me.”
(Inputs from agencies)
