Teji Bachchan (12 August 1917 - 21 December 2007) was wife of Hindi literary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan. She was mother of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

Contents 1 Role as a wife 2 Bachchan family 3 Career 4 Relationship with Indira Gandhi 5 Last days of life 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Role as a wife

Born into a Sikh Punjabi family of army officers as Teji Suri in Lyalpur (now Faisalabad), Pakistan,Teji was the daughter of Sardar Khajaan Singh a prominent barristor at Lyalpur now in Pakistan. She met Harivansh Rai Bachchan Srivastava. He taught English at the Allahabad University. At that time, Harivansh was still recovering from the tragedy of his first wife Shyama’s death when the couple met at a common friend’s place on 31st Dec.1940 at Bareilly (U.P.). The friend was Mr. Gyanprakash Verma a professor of English at Bareilly College, Bareilly whose wife Uma was teaching in Khoobchand College Lahore (now in Pakistan). Teji was also teaching Psychology subject in same college and was a good friend of Uma Verma. At Bareilly Bachchan fell in love with Teji and in a month they got married in Allahbad. Before it Teji was also engaged with a boy of same caste and of a rich family but she turned down that proposal.Teji recited one of his love poems, Kya Karoon Samvednayein Lekar Tumhari. The noted poet, a man of few words, was enamoured by Teji's charms and spirited commitment to the society and they got married in 1941.

Teji was a great home maker and lover of stage. During his lifetime, Harivansh Rai remained completely engrossed in his muse, leaving his dynamic wife to handle all family matters. Even in social engagements, Bachchan senior always willingly played second fiddle to his gregarious wife^[1].

She was also considered an inspiration behind several works of Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Photo of Family on 27-12-2007 http://bns.katela.com/Photos/amitabh.jpg

[edit] Bachchan family

Teji had two sons Amitabh and Ajitabh. Amitabh Bachchan is Bollywood superstar ^[2] and Amitabh's wife Jaya Bachchan is also film actress and Member of Parliament. Teji's grandson Abhishek Bachchan is also a successful actor. Aishwarya Rai is her granddaughter-in-law. Amitabh' daughter Shweta Bachchan- Nanda is married to Nikhil Nanda (Escorts Group). Ajitabh' wife Ramola Chugani - Bachchan is a house wife.

[edit] Career

Even before the couple’s first son Amitabh’s now-illustrious acting career took off, they were names to reckon with in India’s accomplished literary circuit and high society ^[3]. Dr Bachchan and Teji won wide acclaim during their younger days as a singing duo at literary meets. Their mellifluous voices and a fine sense of rhythm brought out the true lyrical beauty of Dr Bachchan’s poetry ^[4].

Besides her commitment drew fillas social service, Teji Bachchan even displayed her skills as a stage actor—she played Lady Macbeth in her husband’s Hindi adaptation of Macbeth. They also played a cameo appearance in Yash Chopra’s superhit Amitabh-starrer Kabhi Kabhie.

She was also appointed as one of the Directors of the Film Finance Corporation in 1973. The Film Finance Corporation of India (and its successor National Film Development Corporation of India), a Government of India undertaking's main objective was to finance the production of purposeful films of good quality with a view to improving the general standards of the medium. ^[5].

[edit] Relationship with Indira Gandhi

She had earned fame as an indefatigable social activist and caught the attention of Indira Gandhi. A bond developed between them and they became close friends. The relationship remained strong till Indira's assassination in October 1984.

The duo's closeness came to the fore openly when Rajiv Gandhi was courting Sonia Antonio Maino, the shy young Italian girl. It was Teji who acted as a gentle mediator when her friend, the powerful Indira, was reluctant about her pilot son's wedding to the Italian girl from a middle-class family.

When the Rajiv-Sonia marriage was finally fixed in 1969, Sonia and her family had nowhere to stay in New Delhi. As per Hindu customs, a betrothed girl cannot enter her in-laws' house before marriage. Once again, Teji came to the family's help. Sonia and her family moved in briefly and stayed at the Bachchan's New Delhi residence all through the wedding. After the wedding, Indira's elder daughter-in-law moved into the Gandhi household^[6].

Sadly, the warm relationship between the Gandhis and Bachchans soured after Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister upon Indira's death. To her credit, Teji consistently maintained a dignified silence over the Rajiv-Amitabh controversy. Even the Bachchans have chosen never to comment about it.

[edit] Last days of life

After Harivansh Rai's death in 2003, Teji became a virtual recluse and her health started deteriorating sharply.

Teji was suffering from liver problems and also dementia, a disorder which leads to gradual memory loss. It is said that in her last few months she was unable to recognise even her family members. The Bachchans decided to get her admitted to the hospital to ensure she could get top-class medical attention round-the-clock.

Teji was in the Lilavati Hospital for almost the whole of 2007 and she was shifted to the ICU in November 2007 after her condition became worse^[7]. Teji's illness had resulted in the Bachchan family curtailing celebrations at their Juhu residence (Prateeksha) for the past few years on occasions like Holi and Diwali. She died at the age of 90 on 21 December 2007 after prolonged illness^[8].

[edit] See also

• Jaya Bachchan
• Bachchan family

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Story of Amitabh Bacchan MOTHER
• Teji Suri
• Amitabh writes about her mother