Raikot trader dedicates house purchased from Dharmendra’s father to actor’s memory

A local trader and philanthropist of the erstwhile princely state of Punjab has announced to dedicate his old house to the memory of actor Dharmendra and events related with his three generations after he (Dharmendra) breathed his last after a prolonged illness at Mumbai on Monday.

Dharmendra, his father Kewal Krishan Chaudhary and grandfather Patwari Narain Dass had spent significant time of their lives at the house situated near Kutba Gate. It was bought by the enthusiast’s family from the actor’s father in 1959.

Kewal Kumar Aggarwal is so enthusiastic about retaining linkage of the premises with the Deol family that he did not get the power connection transferred from the name of Dharmendra’s father to his family and has constructed a new house for his personal use.

A senior functionary of Lions Club, Raikot, Amit Passi said social activists, led by Amritpal Singh, former sarpanch of Dangon village, the native village of Dharmendra, had consented to associate with the Aggarwal family in maintaining the premises as a monument in memory of Dharmendra on Monday. Aggarwal confirmed that the building had been purchased by his father for Rs 5,000 from the actor’s father Kewal Kishan Chaudhary vide a registered deed written in Urdu on a stamp paper valuing Rs 150. A latest bill issued by the PSPCL, Raikot, suggested that the connection was still in the name of Kewal Kishan.

According to information received from Aggarwal and Amritpal Singh, Dharmendra’s grandfather Narain Dass worked as a revenue official (patwari) at Raikot before and after Independence while his father Kewal Krishan started his teaching career from Government Girls’ School, Raikot, (now Ajitsar Government Kanya Smart Senior Secondary School, Raikot), situated near the house.

Patwari Narain Dass also used to attend revenue court on the premises of the school that was used as a court in old times. Dharmendra had called Kewal Kumar over phone and paid gratitude for the gesture of the family to retain its originality a few years ago. Though Dharmendra had visited Raikot a decade ago for transferring rights of his ancestral property at Dangon village in the name of his nephews, he could not visit the building due to his preoccupied schedule.