On my way to Anandpur Sahib, as I passed through the wheat fields that glistened in the sun like a bed of gold, I found myself caught up in a chain of thoughts. It was my first visit to Punjab and my idea of the place was only based on what I had seen in Yash Chopra movies. Full of excitement and curiosity I must have bombarded the driver with a million questions. Well, how could I have stopped myself?

As I entered Anandpur Sahib, I was dazzled with the beautiful colours of the houses and the interesting shapes of water tanks—eagles, horses, footballs, flowers and more. For someone who had only seen black Sin­tex water tanks till now, my eyes popped out and I couldn’t stop smiling.

Tired but overwhelmed, I reached the resort where I met Sodhi Vikram Singh, the founder of Anandpur Sahib Heritage Foundation and the or­ganiser of the Khalsa Games. He started the Games to eradicate the problem of drug addiction among Punjab’s youth and to introduce them to a healthier lifestyle by getting them involved in sports and cultural activities. Since the birth of Khalsa happened in Anandpur Sahib on the day of Baisakhi, I was really inspired by his initiative and my expectations from Khalsa Games got even higher.

After lunch we went to the venue. The event started with kabaddi fol­lowed by wushu, a Chinese martial art, and gatka, the traditional mar­tial art of Punjab. The participants performed really well but there were barely any spectators to cheer for them.

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On Baisakhi, the streets resonated with the sound of tractors and Shabad. People from all over Punjab came to Anandpur Sahib and I was awed by the colours and energy around me. Since it was the birth anni­versary of the Khalsa, I went on a tour to Virasat-e-Khalsa, the museum which is home to Sikh history. I must say it is a beautiful museum and the pictorial presentation of the history could have been perfect had I got the audio aid.

After the tour around the museum I went to Keshgarh Sahib Gurud­wara for langar. The gurudwara was pretty crowded. I was surprised to see so many people volunteering at a blood donation camp.

After langar I went back to the resort and got ready for the final day of the Khalsa Games. I was hoping to see a variety of sports on the last day of the event but it was the same as day one. They started with kabaddi followed by wushu and a daredevil act.

The main attraction of the event was a horse show which got cancelled because the horses were tired and the riders went back to their home­town for Baisakhi! Although the second edition of the Khalsa games couldn’t do so well, it still has a lot of potential if it is organised well. Maybe a different venue could have helped.