It was Raashii Khanna’s 33rd birthday on November 30, and she got to fulfil a long-pending wish of hers — to pay a visit to Sri Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Now back in Mumbai after the two-day trip, the actor gets candid on the “serene” experience.

“I have been wanting to visit the Golden temple for a very long time now. I went there when I was younger, but I always wanted to do it properly — take a snaan (dip) in the sarovar (holy water) and do the Amrit Vela (early morning meditation), which is usually [done from] 2 am to 4 am,” she tells us, adding, “On my birthday eve (November 29), I reached Amritsar with my family and friends. We went to the Golden Temple and took a dip. On my birthday morning, we did the Amrit Vela.”

The Farzi actor goes on to add that everything felt complete in that moment. “My birthday was so peaceful this year. When I got out of the temple, I thought to myself, ‘This is what I wanted’. I wanted to do this with my family and I was very happy to be able to do it this year. The feeling is out of the world.”

When in Amritsar, Khanna didn’t miss a chance to explore the city’s markets as well as the culinary delicacies available there. “We bought some beautiful dupattas and suits. Also, I had heard so much about the food. I had the Amritsari kulcha, which was amazing. People who were with us kept saying to me, ‘No dieting in Amritsar’. I ate a lot. I was okay with all the butter and ghee they put because I work out a lot,” she quips.

Though she rang in her special day in Amritsar, Khanna did not miss out on her tradition of planting saplings on her birthday. She reveals that she had never intended on going public about her initiative, but it was her team that persuaded her. “I am a private person,” she continues, “My team noticed that I am an environmentalist at heart. They said that I should post about it. I plant saplings every now and then, but it has become a tradition on my birthday.” She goes on to talk about the impact of her posting about planting trees, saying: “A fan club recently told me that they also started planting because I do it. At that time, I felt I do have an impact. I am happy that I made this a tradition.”

In terms of work, the actor is awaiting the release of her film Yodha, co-starring Sidharth Malhotra and Disha Patani. “I think the film has been postponed again because the makers want to avoid clashes as there are so many big films releasing in December. I think we will come out with it in March next year. I am really excited for it,” she signs off.