Teji Bachchan Biography 
Teji Bachchan was a social activist and a close friend of late Prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi. She is better known as the wife of great Hindi poet, Harivansh Rai Bachchan and mother of star of millennium, none other than Amitabh Bachchan. Her daughter-in-law is also a talented actress of yesterdays, Jaya Bachchan. She is a member of parliament at present. Her grandson, Abhishek Bachchan and grand – daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are also top actors of Bollywood. Her granddaughter Shweta Bachchan is a successful television anchor and married to Raj Kapoor’s grandson, Nikhil Nanda. Teji Bachchan was one of the Directors of the Film Finance Corporation in 1973. The main aim of this organization was to finance the production of purposeful films of good quality.
Teji was born in Punjab as the daughter of Sardar Khajaan Singh, a barrister at Lyallpur. She met Harivansh Rai Bachchan Srivastava an English teacher at the Allahabad University. He was a widower that time. Bachchan was earlier married to Shyama. But she died due to TB at a younger age. Teja was teaching Psychology at Khoob Chand Degree College, Lahore at that time and both got married in Allahabad in 1941.
Later she became a homemaker. While her husband was so busy in the literary world, she was fully engaged in household and brought up two kids – Amitabh Bachchan and Ajitabh Bachchan. The Bachchans were a part of India’s literary circuit and high society and the couple used to sing at events. They have also played a cameo appearance in Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie, one of the top hit romantic movies of their son.
Teji Bachchan became a close friend of Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi. When Bachchans moved to Delhi, Teji got fame as a social activist, and her friendship with Indira Gandhi became deeper. Both the families were close friends till Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Harivansh Rai Bachchan wrote his last poem ‘Ek November 1984’ on Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Harivansh died in the year 2003 aged 95 while Teja died 6 years later, aged 93 at Lilavathi Hospital, Mumbai.
Published: N/A
Updated: September 19, 2013
