Cine icon Amitabh Bachchan has remembered his mother Teji Bachchan on her 15th death anniversary.
Amitabh took to his blog and recalled her last day, saying that she passed away “elegantly and quietly” at the age of 93 on December 21, 2007, following a prolonged illness.
“She slipped away as elegantly and quietly as was her temperament this morning as I watched the doctors struggle to revive her delicate heart, time and again .. pumping her delicate frame in vigorous pushes to get her to live again .. and again .. and again ..”
“We stood .. holding hands all of us near and dear .. the nieces and the children in tears .. until.”
He added: “I spoke up ..leave it doc .. leave her .. she wishes to go .. stop .. do not make any more efforts .. each effort was painful for her system and painful for us to stand there and witness .. each time that ‘straight line’ would appear .. and then shift to the graphic responses of the physical pumping .. stop it I said ..”
“And they did .. the singular tone of the straight line on the monitor .. indicating to us all and the World, that she had left .. slipped out .. as someone recently mentioned about the passing of a near one .. and gone to a ‘better place’ – words that we often hear being used in the consolation of the departure.'”
“A gentle hand on her forehead .. a million memories flashing by in the silence of the room in the hospital .. and then leaving to bring her home .. the hall in Prateeksha was cleaned and washed .. her portrait, her beautiful face, by the side of a few white flowers .. a silence about .. and she lay there for the last time ..”
He recalled that her nieces came and brought in the Granth Saheb Shabd in recitation, sitting by her side all night.
“I lay on the floor .. it was traditional .. to spend the night with her, till the cremation the next day .. and then her body to the flames .. the collection of her ashes .. and taken to the sacred places which she believed in and prayed at .. the prayer meet .. with recitations of the Granth Saheb by the recognized Granthis .. and her portrait .. by the side of Babuji, in his room .. adorning.
“The sound of shlokas and prayers each day and the flowers keep them company .. her and his books of prayer alongside.. in reverence .. the room remains so .. permanently .. and she remains permanently with us .. Amma ji .. the most beautiful Mother in the entire Universe.
Teji Bachchan was born in Faisalabad of Punjab in Pakistan in 1914 and was married to Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan for 62 years till his death in 2003. She played Lady Macbeth in Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s Hindi adaptation of Shakespeare’s play and did a cameo appearance in the 1976 romance drama ‘Kabhie Kabhie’, starring Amitabh as one of the leads.
