Pratiba Raman/Bengaluru

Mehboob Masli is a 56-year-old electrical contractor in Karnataka’s Vijayapura. While he was a busy man, he ensured he dedicated some of his time for the service of this society too. With two sons and 2 daughters, Masli was either working hard to bag contracts or was busy organising cultural programmes in the district.

If there was one thing that stirred his heart, “I love to help orphans, my heart goes out to them,” he said. No wonder, he and his wife decided to adopt Pooja Vadigeri, an eight-year-old neighbour of theirs. Eleven years ago, Pooja lost her parents and was living with her grandmother. Pooja’s dad was an alcoholic and thus died of health complications. Her mother passed away unable to bear the grief.

“When Pooja’s grandmother died a year later due to old age, we decided to adopt her and bring her home,” said Mehboob Masli. Locals living there were apparently shocked to hear this. How can a Muslim man adopt a Hindu girl? “People talked. Some scolded. Others advised. But we paid no heed. We were determined to take care of her,” he added.

Mehboob Masli

Pooja soon became the youngest darling of the family. “While my wife made sure she didn't miss her parents, my children made sure she never felt lonely. And I made sure none of us forced our religion or practices on her. We wanted her to follow her own beliefs and practices,” said Masli.

Mehboob Masli wasn’t a man who was rigid about religion. “I live in a society where everybody respects every religion. In fact, I organise Ganapati Pooja every year here. And I have been doing that for 20 years. And I enjoy doing that as much as I enjoy our own religious festivals. Over here, Hindus are invited as chief guest for many Muslim gatherings and events, and vice versa,” he stressed.

On July 30, Mehboob Masli married Pooja to a man from Vijayapura, following the Hindu customs to the tee. “I wanted her to get married to a Hindu man and not force her to marry a man from our religion. It is against our religion, right? The groom’s family accepted our child without any dowry,” he said.

“I am glad I have a daughter like her and I hope she remains happy for the rest of her life,” said Mehboob Masli. According to media reports, Pooja too mentioned that she’s always grateful to these parents, who reared her with so much love.

At a time when the country is witnessing religious conflicts and political turmoil in the name of CAA and NRC, Mehboob Masli said, “Politicians can do what they want. Here, we, Hindus and Muslims, were taught to live together and love each other. Nothing can change that.”

Mehboob Masli is now a content man for he has married all his children to good families and he can dedicate more of his time now to what he enjoys the most - social service.