Kharar-Acharwal Village Honoured by Visiting

Hoshiarpur / Daljeet Ajnoha/July 7 :  A delegation from the Football Players Welfare Society, Mahilpur, which is conducting a campaign to reach every village and connect with players, visited Kharar‑Acharwal — the ancestral village of several celebrated footballers — on Monday. The team included Arjuna Awardee Gurdev Singh Gill, international footballer Manjeet Singh Gill, Kulltar Singh Tari, Madan Lal Maddo, Mahinder Singh Ghoga, Omkar Singh, international referee Harbhajan Singh, Paramjit Singh Pappu, Paraminder Singh, Surjeet Singh Seet, Darshan Singh Darsha, Palu, Dabinder Singh Ghoga, Fauji Harbhajan Singh, and journalist Jasveer Virdee, among many other national and international players.
The visitors paid homage to the revered land that has produced so many noted athletes — a reason the village is often called the “capital of footballers.” A thoughtful discussion on the past and present of sports and suggestions for improvement took place at the home of Paramjit Singh Pappu (UK), a close friend and contemporary of retired Inspector Gurdial Singh Bains, and a three‑time captain of Punjab University and captain of the All India Combined Universities team. Like other senior players, Paramjit Singh Pappu expressed his eagerness to see football regain its former glory and affirmed his readiness to provide all possible support for the sport’s development.
Speakers noted that football faces challenges due to local factionalism and village politics. They urged residents to abandon political narrowness, follow the guidance of elders, and strengthen communal bonds. Members of the Football Players Welfare Society, Mahilpur, outlined their detailed programme to support all local sports clubs and academies.
They appealed to veteran players to help preserve and pass on the legacy of senior footballers to the next generation. The delegation observed that the list of distinguished players — from Mali Sahib and Gurbakhsh Singh (UK) to many other past and present stars of Khairad‑Acharwal — is so long and proud that it can never be fully recorded.
New members, including weightlifter Jagaraj Singh Jaga, who mentors youth in football, kabaddi and athletics to steer them away from bad company and drugs, along with Pawan Kumar and Inspector Amandeep Kumar, have joined FPWSM. They are committed to raising the standard of sports in the area.
Honouring all the village’s players and its sacred soil, the Society asked for the blessings and cooperation of Kharar‑Acharwal’s athletes and sought forgiveness for any inadvertent omissions. “Let us all unite as partners and supporters of the Football Players Welfare Society, Mahilpur, and contribute body, mind and resources to brighten football’s future,” the delegation urged.