Post by : Meena
Hassan
On Gurpurab, Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan highlighted a lesser-known thread of his background: his maternal family was Sikh, tracing its origins to Punjab, and he described himself as partly Sikh.
Speaking on Kaun Banega Crorepati 16, he discussed his parents' marriage and said he felt uneasy labelling it "inter-caste." Addressing a contestant, he recalled his upbringing: he said his father came from Uttar Pradesh while his mother belonged to a Sikh household, adding that his maternal relatives would fondly call him "Kinna sona putar hai, sadda Amitabh Singh."
Reflecting on earlier Gurpurab observances, Amitabh remembered his childhood in Allahabad and the impact of his mother's devotion. He wrote about hearing Gurbani sung at home: "Those early years in Allahabad, when Ma recited and sang the eternal pious and divine words of the Gurbani... 'tati vaar na jaavaee...'" He also named his mother, Teji Kaur Suri, his grandfather Sardar Khazan Singh Suri and mentioned his grandmother belonged to the Sodi family, noting relatives who served as prabandhaks at the Anantpur Sahib Gurudwara.
He said these devotional songs and rituals left a lasting mark, with the Gurbani performances from Gurpurab celebrations remaining vivid in his memory.
About Amitabh Bachchan's Parents:
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Harivansh Rai Bachchan: A noted Hindi poet and writer, best known for Madhushala, a leading voice in the Nayi Kavita movement and recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 1976. Born in Babupatti, he adopted "Bachchan" as his pen name.
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Teji Bachchan (née Teji Kaur Suri): From a Sikh family in Lyallpur, Punjab (present-day Pakistan), she was active in social causes and passionate about theatre. She met Harivansh at a college event in Lahore and they married in Allahabad in 1941.
The marriages in Amitabh's family reflect cross-regional unions: his parents' marriage united different cultural backgrounds, and Amitabh himself married Jaya Bhaduri in 1973, continuing that pattern of blended heritage.
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