About the book
The life story book for every Panjabi home.
Thoughtfully designed to help your parents and grandparents share the memories, moments and milestones that shaped their lives in Panjab – and the journey that brought your family to where it is today.
Inside, you’ll find gentle life-story questions that open up meaningful conversations, spaces for treasured photographs, and bilingual prompts (English, Romanised Panjabi and Gurmukhi) so your loved one can read each question in the language that feels most natural.
Whether you’re guiding an elder through the questions or writing down their stories on their behalf, this life story book becomes a lasting heirloom for future generations. A meaningful gift to bring your family closer, one story at a time.
Dimensions & Paper Quality
Book size: 154mm x 216mm (A5)
108 pages printed on premium 140gsm paper for a beautifully thick, smooth writing experience.
Hardback, casebound cover with a 2.4mm board, giving it a durable, heirloom-quality feel.
Book size: 154mm x 216mm (A5)
108 pages printed on premium 140gsm paper for a beautifully thick, smooth writing experience.
Hardback, casebound cover with a 2.4mm board, giving it a durable, heirloom-quality feel.
What's Inside?
- Thoughtful life-story questions covering childhood in Panjab, family traditions, migration journeys and the moments that shaped your loved one’s life
- Bilingual prompts: English, Romanised Panjabi and Gurmukhi
- Space to record answers, translate or paraphrase responses and add your own notes
- Dedicated photo spaces to preserve treasured memories
- Sections for family history, milestones and personal reflections
- A chapter designed to help you fill the book together through guided conversations
- Keepsake pages for handwriting, messages and memories to pass down
Shipping & Returns
UK: £4.00 - 1–2 working days
USA & Canada: $30 - 5–7 working days
Australia: $40 - 7–10 working days
All orders are fully tracked.
Each book is personalised, so please allow up to 3 working days for dispatch before shipping.
From conversation to keepsake.
1. Start the conversation
Sit with your parent or grandparent and guide them through the questions together. You can write their answers or simply listen as they share their memories.
2. Capture their memories
Record their memories in their own words - in Panjabi, English, or both. Add photographs and keepsakes that bring their story to life.
3. Create a family treasure
When it’s complete, you’ll have a book that captures their life story - something your family can pass down for generations.
1. Start the conversation
Sit with your parent or grandparent and guide them through the questions together. You can write their answers or simply listen as they share their memories.
2. Capture their memories
Record their memories in their own words - in Panjabi, English, or both. Add photographs and keepsakes that bring their story to life.
3. Create a family treasure
When it’s complete, you’ll have a book that captures their life story - something your family can pass down for generations.
Everything you need to preserve their story.
Personalised cover
Personalised with your parent or grandparent’s name - turning their story into a one-of-a-kind keepsake.
Guided life chapters
9 chapters that guide their story - from childhood in Panjab to family, marriage, migration, and the life they built.
English & Panjabi prompts
Thoughtful prompts in English, Romanised Panjabi and Gurmukhi - so they can answer in the language that feels natural.
Written together
A gift that becomes more meaningful with time - their life story, preserved for your family.
Space for memories
Space for handwritten memories, photographs, and the moments that shaped your family.
Rooted in Panjabi heritage
Created to honour Panjabi heritage and the generation who carried it across the world.
Personalised cover
Personalised with your parent or grandparent’s name - turning their story into a one-of-a-kind keepsake.
Guided life chapters
9 chapters that guide their story - from childhood in Panjab to family, marriage, migration, and the life they built.
English & Panjabi prompts
Thoughtful prompts in English, Romanised Panjabi and Gurmukhi - so they can answer in the language that feels natural.
Written together
A gift that becomes more meaningful with time - their life story, preserved for your family.
Space for memories
Space for handwritten memories, photographs, and the moments that shaped your family.
Rooted in Panjabi heritage
Created to honour Panjabi heritage and the generation who carried it across the world.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Do my parents or grandparents need to fill this out themselves?
Not at all. Most families complete the book together. You can sit with your parent or grandparent, ask the questions aloud, and write down their answers as they share their memories. It’s all about creating space for those stories to be told.
Is the book meant for one person or a whole family?
The book is designed to tell the story of one person - usually a parent or grandparent. Their name appears on the cover, and the questions guide them through their life story from childhood to the present day. Many families choose to create separate books for different relatives so each story can be preserved individually.
Can I add more than one name to the cover?
The book is designed to tell the story of one person, so the cover is personalised with a single name - usually a parent or grandparent. This helps keep the story focused on their life journey.
If you’d like to preserve the stories of multiple family members, many families choose to create a separate book for each person. 2 Guided Lifestory Books includes two books instead of one and saves £5 - perfect for capturing the stories of both parents or grandparents.
What kind of things does the book ask?
The questions explore meaningful chapters of life - childhood, family traditions, marriage, migration, raising children, and the experiences that shaped them. The aim is to capture the stories and memories that might otherwise fade with time.
Is the book written in Panjabi or English?
Each question appears in English, Romanised Panjabi, and Gurmukhi. This allows your parent or grandparent to read the prompts in the format that feels most natural, and answer in Panjabi, English, or a mix of both.
What if my parent says they don’t have any interesting stories?
That’s very common at first. Many parents and grandparents don’t realise how meaningful their memories are to the next generation. The questions are designed to gently unlock stories about childhood, traditions, migration, and life lessons that might otherwise never be shared.
Do we need to complete every question?
Not at all. The book is designed to be flexible. You can move through the questions at your own pace and focus on the stories that feel most meaningful. Some families complete it over weeks, while others return to it over months or years.
Is it suitable for any religion or background?
Yes. The book celebrates Panjabi heritage and shared experiences across generations, but it isn’t tied to any specific religion. Families from many different backgrounds have found it meaningful.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes. We currently ship from the UK to the UK, United States, Canada and Australia. Shipping options and delivery times for your location can be found here.
The best book to get to know the One you love most. Such a amazing piece . Love everything about this. My mom uses it daily as a diary for all the next generations. My favorite product by far and also the most used one🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Great quality
Great thought provoking questions
Only disappointment is the writing is very small
Hence the 4 stars
For elderly parents to read with ease
Even with glasses on
Please consider at least a slightly bigger font
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review and feedback.
We’re really glad you found the questions meaningful and thought provoking.
We truly appreciate the note about the writing size as well. Accessibility for parents and grandparents is incredibly important to us, and it’s something we’re actively taking into consideration for future improvements.
Thank you again for supporting Virsa and sharing your experience.
The book is beautiful it encompasses every part of life and it makes an amazing sentimental gift!
I bought this for my mum as a birthday present and it’s brought her so much joy. We value Punjabi so much in our household coming from a family of Punjabi poets. This has added another layer to not only strengthen our legacy but also our connection to our past. I think it’s such a thoughtful gift!
I recently bought two of these guided life story journals and honestly, they’re something special.
Before ordering, I reached out with a question and received a genuinely thoughtful, heartfelt response. It immediately felt like this was more than just a product. It’s something created with real intention and care.
The journal itself reflects that. The questions are open and reflective, often the kind of things you mean to ask over the years, but realistically forget. Sitting down and going through them brings out stories, memories, and perspectives that might otherwise never be captured.
What really stands out is how universally meaningful it feels. It doesn’t try to divide or define identity - it simply creates space to honour shared history, lived experiences, and a shared heritage and culture that connects Panjabis beyond man-made borders. It also makes you realise how much of our own culture deserves to be preserved, carried forward, and passed down to future generations.
Because of that, it feels less like a journal and more like something every family should take the time to sit with and preserve.
I genuinely believe this is something every Panjabi family should have, whether from Charhda or Lehnda Panjab.
This is a wonderful idea and keepsake for the family, I hope it stays with us for generations
My only comment would be- I thought it would be slightly larger in size- it’s a normal book size . Overall really happy and recommending to everyone - thanks 😊
Hi, the book is great and questions asked
However considering it is for the elderly generation the writing is so small even for anyone else including my teenage kids
Better design is A4 book
It would have been nice for my mum to write in her handwriting too
This is a shame
Thank you for your honest feedback. I'm really glad to hear you found the book and its questions meaningful. I’m sorry to hear the text felt too small for your family to use comfortably. The book was designed as a guided format to help families capture stories together, but feedback like this is incredibly helpful and we’re taking it seriously as we continue to improve the experience.
Amazing product to keep oral stories alive.
We love the product! It is relatable and asks the right questions to help our parents get their thoughts going. Storytelling is how our culture and heritage will carry on.
This is a first-of-its-kind archive which has thoughtfully and carefully been curated to encapsulate the arc of a panjabi immigrants life. The attention to detail has to be applauded with questions that invite the author to really reflect and ruminate on their life's journey. We especially love the chapters that divide the book into key milestones and moments. The design itself is understated luxury allowing it to be lovingly preserved for posterity.
Brilliant artefact to have with the family. Can’t wait to show this to my parents and sit with them gradually, and fill it in
It’s high quality, the pages feel pristine and the romanised Panjabi is brilliant.
I bought this book for my dad as a present, and he loved it. We have been going through and filling the pages out. Learning more about his history and upbringing. It’s a gift we will always cherish and look back on for future generations to come
A great book for every punjabi parent and grandparent. The questions help them open up and share stories you had never heard before. It’s a beautiful way to feel closer to your roots.
A perfect holiday gift for every Punjabi parent and grandparent!!
I got this for my Dad and we ended up spending hours going through old photos. He told me stories I'd never heard before - I learnt so much about his life and our family history. Such a special gift!