Gatka is a weapon-based Indian martial art associated with the Punjab state and identified with Panjabi Sikh culture. The word gatka properly refers to the wooden sticks which were used for sparring. The various other weapons are taught in the ritual aspect of the art. These are demonstrated in preset routines or performed as a sword dance during Sikh festivals.

Heera Singh is a Master of Gatka and after visiting his shoe shop he took me to visit his students and they showed me the use of the Chakar. The Chakar looks like a wagon wheel with weights at the end of each spoke. The chakar is wielded by grasping the centre and spinning it around, causing damage upon anyone coming too close to the spinning weights.

On a rooftop behind the Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh temple was an evening Gatka class. The Akhara (school) was free for the poor and children trained hard practicing the skills of their culture.