Sikh Heritage (Virsa)
Are we preserving, adding to and passing on our virsa ?
Virsa is a Punjabi word which means heritage. Perhaps the meaning of this word is closer to what Alex Haley had in mind when he searched for his Roots. Virsa is an individual’s inheritance in its material and cultural totality and is therefore an integral part of each person’s background and personality; it is one’s ancestry which cannot be disavowed. Virsa is the foundation on which a civilised society evolves. Realisation of Virsa is realisation of one’s total personality. It is realisation of one’s cultural, spiritual and worldly assets, both, as an individual and as member of a family and a community. Each generation adds to the virsa of families and communities for posterity.