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Father ,Son and Jawahar Lal Nehru)
(Actor Amitabh Bachan with his parents . Dr Harivansh Rai Bachan Shrivastava and Mrs Teji Bachan)
A Dutiful Son, Caring Father, Loving Husband and a Law-Abiding Citizen: Reading the Autobiography of Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan Srivastava
Dashdwaar Se Sopaan Tak: An Autobiography in Four Volumes - Part IV
The autobiographical oeuvre of Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan Srivastava occupies a singular position in modern Hindi literature, not merely as personal memoir but as cultural historiography.
"This is not a book that gives us the story of Bachchan ji and his family alone. It gives us the story of an age and era that has emerged in more deep colours and contours." .... Dr Hazari Prasad Dwivedi
"If I look at autobiographies, this book appeals to me as the tallest and most absorbing." .... Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
"Such books can be guiding tools for our new generation. Our youth must read such books. It is for their benefit." .... Dr Shiv Mangal Singh Suman
The autobiography, published in four distinct volumes : Kya Bhooloon Kya Yaad Karoon, Need Ka Nirman Phir, Basere Se Door and Dashdwaar Se Sopaan Tak is remarkable for its candour, literary felicity and sociological insight. It affords the reader not only an intimate glimpse into the private life of the poet but also a panoramic view of twentieth-century literary Allahabad, its pedagogic milieu, its progressive writers, painters and political actors, and above all, the formation of Amitabh Bachchan's personality as a dutiful son, affectionate father, devoted husband, loyal friend and law-abiding citizen.
Harivansh Rai Bachchan taught English at Allahabad University, where his contemporary was the eminent Urdu poet Firaq Gorakhpuri. His early life was marked by grinding poverty in his ancestral village, the precariousness of private tuition, and the profound personal loss of his first wife, Shyama, after ten years of marriage. His subsequent companionship with Teji Suri, a Sikh lady of spirited disposition and considerable social commitment, whom he married in 1941, transformed his domestic world. Teji, an accomplished vocalist and amateur stage artiste who performed in Shakespearean plays rendered into Hindi by her husband, assumed complete charge of household affairs, thereby enabling the poet to remain immersed in his muse. In social engagements, Bachchan Sr. was content to play second fiddle to his gregarious wife.
It is a matter of record in film circles that without Teji's encouragement, Amitabh would not have resigned a secure executive position in Calcutta to enter the uncertain terrain of Bombay cinema. It is equally well-known that when Sonia Maino, a young Italian, arrived in India to marry Rajiv Gandhi, an Indian Airlines pilot, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi entrusted her cultural orientation to the elder Bachchans — a testament to their standing as custodians of Indian civilisational ethos in both its traditional and modern idioms.
Excerpts from the Text with Critical Annotation
Excerpt 1: The Period of Struggle
"Amitabh never brings his problems before me. He tries that I should not even know it from others. Possibly he knows that the struggle that I had put up in my life was enough and no more worries for me from his side. Yes, he is quite open with his mother. One day I heard him saying to his mother that with his body structure, it has not been possible for him to establish himself as a hero in the film industry. He confided to her that he would now try for side-hero roles. That was when Amit had acted in two or three films. I also could not help him with any advice as I had very little knowledge about films. I would often mistake Dilip Kumar for Rajendra Kumar. You can now understand my knowledge about films. Yes, during those days even some producers asked for return of the advance amount from Amitabh for films that he had initially signed for them. He was worried. I was helpless. Then my friend Satyendra Sharat came to live with us for some days. He was connected with the film industry and advised Amit to have patience. He told us that Amit has the potential to be a star one day.
Here I can tell you one thing clearly. Amit has a wonderful style not only to carry but also to present himself for any event. His command over Hindi and English is more than normal. And I am sure the day he writes his autobiography, it shall surpass all sale records.
During this period we celebrated Amitabh's 30th birthday on 11-10-1972. Amitabh was not happy with his film work. No offers were coming to him. He attached no importance to his birthday. Teji and I bought a gift for him without his knowledge. I wrote a special poem. Amit was happy with this gift and the poem. He left for his shooting seeking our blessings."
This passage is significant for what it reveals about middle-class ethics, parental anxiety and the precarity of a cinematic career in the early 1970s. It also evinces Bachchan's characteristic humility and self-deprecation regarding his limited familiarity with popular cinema.
( Amitabh with his father )
Excerpt 2: Familial Piety and Kashmir
"Teji had a serious attack of asthma. We went to doctors in Mumbai. Some said that we should shift to some dry climatic zone. The humid air of Mumbai had aggravated her problem. I talked to Amit and Jaya. They felt sad. It was the period of Amit's first wedding anniversary. The son wanted his mother around. But the son also wanted his mother to get well. He was in pain to see her unwell. She had recurrent attacks. As per doctor's advice, Amit and Jaya decided to arrange a house for us in Greater Kailash, New Delhi. Sent a truckload of goods with a new Fiat car, a cook and a driver for our comfort. A telephone connection. New curtains. A study room was created for me... Even during his busy shooting schedules, Amit called his mother daily and never forgot to thank Usha ji... One day Amit brought a senior homoeopathic doctor from Mumbai with him. Teji read Hanuman Chalisa without fail every day... Thereafter Amitabh had to go to Kashmir for shooting of his film Kabhi Kabhi. He insisted that his mother and I should also join them. He felt that this might make his mother better. He booked a special suite for us in Hotel Oberoi Palace, Srinagar. Beautiful lawn. One can sit in this lawn for hours and be in mother nature's lap... Celebrated Amitabh's birthday in Kashmir on 11.10.1974. I wrote a lullaby for little Shweta...
"Chidiya o chidiya kahaan tera ghar."
(O little sparrow, where is thy nest?)
Here we witness an exemplar of Pitra-bhakti and filial solicitude. Despite pressing professional commitments, Amitabh ensures a three-bedroom residence in Greater Kailash to facilitate frequent visits, provides domestic staff and medical attention, and arranges a recuperative sojourn in the lawns of the Oberoi Palace, Srinagar, during the shooting of Yash Chopra's 'Kabhi Kabhi' (1976). The poet's observation of his son's discipline is telling: the actor would converse with his parents and instantaneously metamorphose into character, absorbed, punctual and consummate , an illustration of Stanislavskian commitment.
The narrative culminates in a quiet affirmation of parental fulfilment.
"Dhanya Bhaag Pitu So Jug Jaana
Kaan Sunaa Jo Poot Bakhaana"......Tulsidas
(What greater fortune can befall a father in this world,
Than to hear his son's praise from every quarter?)
In this, Harivansh Rai Bachchan speaks not merely as a father but as a witness to an era.
(Avtar Mota)
Based on a work at
http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
