District- Jalandhar World famous Sports goods hub in Doaba region of Punjab

Jalandhar is the most famous district in the Doaba region of Punjab. The thing that separates Jalandhar from all the districts of Majha and the Malwa region of  Punjab, is the manufacturing of sports goods and equipment. Jalandhar is renowned not only in Punjab but all over the world for sports-related goods. Sports equipment from Jalandhar and other related equipment is used by world-renowned players at international level competitions such as the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. One of Jalandhar's roundabouts is named Football Chownk due to its popularity as a sports equipment hub. Jalandhar has also been the capital of Punjab from the partition of India in 1947 to 1953. Talking about the name of the Jalandhar district, the word Jalandhar itself is a very meaningful word. According to the local language, Jal means water and Andhra means inside so Jalandhar means the inside water area. But really this means the area between the two rivers. The names of these two rivers are Sutlej and Beas. But it is also believed that the district is named after a demon king, mentioned in the old Puranas and the Mahabharata. According to another legend, it is also mentioned that Jalandhar is also the capital of the kingdom of Lav, the son of Sri Ram. Another name of Jalandhar had been- Trigartta. This word means the area between the three rivers, the Sutlej Ravi and Beas.

Many events in history are related to Jalandhar. Here are some of them. The mint was established at Jalandhar during the reign of  King Akbar in the Mughal Empire, in which the copper coin was minted and the special task of disposing of Jalandhar Doab's land revenue was entrusted to his minister, Todar Mall. Kartarpur was founded by Guru Arjun Dev Ji, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs in 1539. During Jahangir's reign, Jalandhar also became a center of special attention as his twentieth and last wife, Nurjahan, grew up in Jalandhar district, close to Nakodar and Phillaur, a small town ‘Nurmahal’ or ‘Noormahal’. She built the Nurmahal Sarai there. It is thought that she spent his childhood in the town ‘Of Nurmahal’.

Let's look at some of the more important events. In 1868, the railway line between Jalandhar and Beas was completed then the railway was opened for rail traffic, and a year later the railway line was extended to Phillaur city in the district. To connect Jalandhar Doab with the rest of Punjab, a railway bridge was constructed on the Beas river in 1869 and the Sutlej river in 1870, leading to increased trade and economic boom. Mahatma Gandhiji also visited Jalandhar city in March 1921 and in the middle of April, the following month, a club of 25 women was established named Charaka Club (Spinning wheel club). Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, used to be part of the Jalandhar district, which was later subdivided under Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (old name Nawanshahr) district.

Jalandhar city is considered the premier of India's sports goods industry. Its roots are in Sialkot, Pakistan. Hindu and Muslim artisans who made sporting goods before 1947 lived in this city. After the partition of 1947, many Hindu artisans from Sialkot city settled in Jalandhar and with their skills, introduced Jalandhar into the world as the hub of the sports goods industry. The sports goods industry is mainly concentrated in Jalandhar and Meerut and most of the goods are exported to the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France, and Australia.

Tell you about a special event that took place on April 3, 2020, during the Lockdown Period, a Coronavirus Covid-19 outbreak. Due to low pollution levels, the air quality index decreased and the slopes of  Dhauladhar mountain ranges of lesser Himalayan in Himachal Pradesh covered by white crystal snow were visible from the city and adjoining villages, which in itself was an amazing sight. These mountains are 200 km away from the city. Thirty years ago, it was a sight to behold, when pollution levels were very low. As development progressed, pollution levels increased and such sightings disappeared.