As reports of veteran actor Dharmendra’s hospitalisation in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital surfaced on Tuesday morning, anxiety and prayers gripped the town of Phagwara, which has long considered the Bollywood legend its own son. From temples to gurdwaras, residents are praying for his swift recovery, recalling with pride and affection the actor’s deep-rooted connection to their city.

Born in Sahnewal near Ludhiana, Dharmendra spent his early years in Phagwara, where his father Master Kewal Krishan Chaudhary served as a respected mathematics and social studies teacher at Arya High School. The young Dharmendra completed his matriculation there in 1950 and later pursued his intermediate studies at Ramgarhia College, graduating in 1952 before heading to Mumbai — a journey that would trans

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