Sardar Ganda Singh Oberoi, founder of the Sialkot Sports Industry.

 

Sardar Ganda Singh Oberoi, founder of the Sialkot Sports Industry. Sialkot was the center of India's sports industry. Sialkot is now in Pakistan.

Sardar Ganda Singh Oberoi has played an important role in Sialkot's history. He and his brother Jhanda Singh Oberoi started the sports industry of Sialkot.

Sardar Ganda Singh Oberoi, born in Mitranwali, Sialkot, was a big landlord, industrial estate owner of pre-partiton era. He ran the Oberoi Estate at Puran Nagar Sialkot from 1925 to 1947. He died in Sialkot and was cremated in Pul Aik.

Such was the grandeur of the Oberoi's home in Sialkot that the road where it was built (around 1901), people started calling it Paris Road because the mansion reminded them of Paris. It is said that before the women came out of their palatial homes on this street for their evening walk, the road was first sprayed with perfume.

Area of his factory comprised of many acres east and west of the start of Paris Road. Bounds of eastern part were common with Sialkot Railway junction. The adjacent part of railway had a track for turning the face of that time steam engines. This eastern part of the factory had all necessary machine installations needed for processing and production of various sports items, with the admin setup situated right near the southern main entrance which exists intact to date. There is a northern big gateway which also speaks of the grandeur of the biggest factory of that time in Sialkot. The western part of the factory was situated between Paris Road and Ketchery Road. From the start of the common point of the two roads, this western portion of the factory, also in many acres, extended up to the present General Post Office which has been constructed in the property of Sardar Sahib, then known as Ganda Singh Ground. It comprised of necessary minor installations for manufacture and finishing of cricket bats, hockey sticks, badminton rackets, etc. This part had only one big gateway at Paris Road and did not have any entrance on the Ketchery Road. Entering the gateway there used to be a fire place enclosure for seasoning glued joints of the items to make these firm for final finishing. All disciplines and securities of both parts of the factory were highly tight and nobody was permitted entry / exists without checking.

                                House of sardar Ganda Singh oberoi in Sialkot.