Phagwara awaits its hero’s recovery

A wave of concern swept through Phagwara on Tuesday as news broke that legendary actor Dharmendra has been admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. In temples and gurdwaras across the city, his childhood friends and admirers offered ardent prayers for the recovery of the man they have always called their own.

For Phagwara, Dharmendra has never been just a film icon. He is the boy who once walked its dusty streets, the friend who never forgot his roots, and the superstar who returned every time the town called.

His closest childhood companions philanthropist Kuldip Sardana, Harjit Singh Parmar, Advocate Shiv Chopra and members of the Aman Committee gathered at local temples and gurdwaras to pray for his swift recovery. Many of them have stood by Dharmendra since the days when he was known simply as Dharam — the polite boy with dreams too big for a small town to contain.

His old friends are leading quiet prayers at gurdwaras and mandirs, hoping to see their Dharam paaji smiling and healthy again. Their voices tremble with emotion, but their affection remains unwavering.

Dharmendra’s own words from that emotional 2006 visit echo across Phagwara: “I am a farmer’s son from Punjab. Whatever I am today, I owe to this land and its people.” To the world, he is a superstar. To Phagwara, he is family.

As prayers continue, one heartfelt slogan rises once more: “Phagwara Zindabad — Dharmendra Zindabad.”