He never left us: Sahnewal mourns its favourite puttar

The lanes of Sahnewal will forever miss their beloved son. With the passing of veteran actor Dharmendra, a silence has descended on the town where his childhood dreams first took root.

For Sahnewal, it is not just the loss of a cinematic icon but of a boy who rose to stardom without ever letting go of the soil that nurtured him. His absence now echoes through the streets and homes he once walked, leaving behind memories that will be cherished for generations.

As the news spread, grief united the town. Residents recalled his warmth, humility and countless gestures that kept him tied to Sahnewal. “A real son of the soil, Dharmendra’s roots were deeply embedded here. Even after shifting to Mumbai in the 1950s, he never lost touch. His love and reverence for Sahnewal remained unwavering till his last breath,” said Sampooran Singh Sanam, general secretary of the senior citizens’ association and a close associate of the actor.

The sentiment echoed far beyond Sahnewal. Gaurav Kaille, nephew of Sant Ram -- Dharmendra’s old friend now settled in Canada -- spoke of the actor’s humility. “My uncle often recalled how Dharmendra never let fame get to his head. Despite his success, he stayed grounded, treating both my aunts like sisters and sharing a strong bond with the family.”

The affection was mutual. The family of Nambardaar Halwai -- Satish Kumar, Rajeev Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar -- remembered how Dharmendra’s favourite gajar ka halwa and burfi were always sent to him in Mumbai. “Just two months ago, gajar ka halwa was packed in a steel container and carried by a villager from Umaidpur,” they recalled.

Their father often narrated how young Dharmendra, fearing his parents’ scolding, would sleep on their rooftop after returning late from movie shows in Ludhiana.

His former teacher Ranbir Singh reflected on the boy who became a star. “His name, Kumar Dharmendra Singh, remains etched in the admission records of Government High School, Sahnewal, where his father Chaudhary Kewal Krishan was headmaster. Despite his father’s wish for him to focus on studies, Dharmendra’s passion for cinema never faded. He would gaze at trains passing from Ludhiana to Delhi, envisioning a future in films.”

Associates Pandit Vijay Kumar Sharma and Darshan Lal summed up the town’s grief: “His humility endeared him to Sahnewal. The shock of his passing will linger for long.”

For Sahnewal, Dharmendra was more than a star — he was family. His journey from the dusty lanes of the town to the heights of Indian cinema never distanced him from his people.

Today, as Sahnewal mourns, it also celebrates the life of a man who carried his roots with pride, leaving behind memories as enduring as his films.