Woman who shaped Big B

MUMBAI: Once asked why he hadn't become a poet, Amitabh Bachchan replied, "My mother always maintained that one poet in the family was enough." The statement said a lot about the woman who is believed to have been the major force behind the three Bachchan men.

The daughter of a well-known Sikh barrister, a lecturer in psychology and an amateur actor, Teji Suri was known to have a keen ear for poetry and music. The story goes that she played Lady Macbeth when Harivanshrai adapted the play in Hindi. The couple met at a time when Harivanshrai was recovering from the sudden and traumatic loss of his first wife Shyamala. She married him in 1941 despite opposition from both families owing to the differences in their backgrounds and economic status.

The duo set up home in Allahabad where Harivanshrai taught English at the University. The household has been described as a typical "Allahabad sangam of tradition and modernity." Playing host to writers and intellectuals and attending literary meets — where the husband and wife won acclaim as a singing duo — marked the early years of marriage.

"When Bachchan went to Cambridge for further studies in 1952, he was quite confident that his wife would take care of the kids," said Padma Sachdev, a close family friend.

Oldtimers say although she had an Anglicized background, Teji ensured that her children were grounded in Indian culture. "She tried to inculcate both her Western values which she had grown up with and the Bachchan values that came from Bachchan's family," said Pushpa Bharati, Hindi literatteur and an old friend.

"She liked discipline — the children were allowed to go out to play but had to return home as soon as the street lights were on. Bachchan wanted them to concentrate on their studies, but Tejiji wanted them to play sports. She liked discipline, and we all know that Amitabh is known for his punctuality in the film industry."

Later, she encouraged her son to join films; Amitabh quit his Shaw Wallace job in Calcutta and came to Bombay with a recommendation letter from Indira Gandhi herself.

Sumant Mishra, who wrote a biography of Amitabh Bachchan, is probably the only one who got an interview with Teji, in which she had opened up about her children and husband. Teji, who called Amitabh 'Munna', said, her children had learnt to work hard from their father. "One day when Munna, after working for 22 hours, came back home, Bachchanji told him, 'Dekho Munna ek roti bhi bahut hain.' Munna replied, 'Dad mujhe aaj bhi yaad hain, main bhoolta nahin, aap kehte the roti badi mushkil se milti hain, aaj main kehta hoon paise badi mushkil se milta hai,"' Teji recalled.

One of the last few public appearances Teji made was on January 18, 2003 when mourners came to Pratiksha to offer condolences on the death of her husband.