Harivansh Rai Bachchan Family Tree: The Story Behind Madhushala's Poet and Amitabh's Father

Harivansh Rai Srivastava "Bachchan", born 27 November 1907 in Babupatti, Allahabad, United Provinces, British India, was the seminal Hindi poet of Madhushala (1935 — one of the most-popular Hindi poetry collections ever). Padma Bhushan (1976). Father of the most-famous Indian movie star of the past 50 years — Amitabh Bachchan. He died 18 January 2003 at age 95.

The Family's Roots: A Kayastha Awadhi Family

The Srivastava family was a Kayastha family in Allahabad. The penname "Bachchan" (meaning "child"; Hindi pet name) was used by Harivansh Rai because his original surname Srivastava would have been considered conservative.

His Parents

Father: Pratap Narayan Srivastava — Allahabad father; trader.

Mother: Saraswati Devi Srivastava — homemaker.

His First Wife: Shyama Bachchan

Shyama Bachchan — married Harivansh in 1926 when he was 18 and she was 15; died of tuberculosis in 1936 at age 25.

His Second Wife: Teji Suri Bachchan

Teji Suri Bachchan (1914–2007) — Sikh; daughter of K.N. Suri (Lahore). Married Harivansh on 24 January 1941; the couple lived in Allahabad and later Mumbai.

Their Sons

Amitabh Bachchan, born 11 October 1942 — Bollywood superstar; original name Inquilaab Srivastava; renamed Amitabh by his father; Padma Bhushan 2001; Padma Vibhushan 2015; Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2018.

Ajitabh Bachchan, born 1948 — younger son; businessman.

His Grandchildren and Extended Family

Through Amitabh + Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan: Shweta Bachchan Nanda (b. 1974), Abhishek Bachchan (b. 1976) — Bollywood actor.

Through Abhishek + Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Aaradhya Bachchan (b. November 2011).

The Bachchan Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Kayastha; Allahabad.

Father: Pratap Narayan Srivastava — trader.

Mother: Saraswati Devi.

First Wife: Shyama Bachchan (m. 1926, died of TB 1936).

Second Wife: Teji Suri Bachchan (1914–2007; m. 24 January 1941).

Sons: Amitabh Bachchan (b. 11 October 1942); Ajitabh Bachchan (b. 1948).

Daughter-in-law (Amitabh's wife): Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan (b. 9 April 1948) — Bollywood actress; MP.

Grandchildren: Shweta Bachchan Nanda (b. 1974); Abhishek Bachchan (b. 1976) — actor.

Granddaughter-in-law (Abhishek's wife): Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (b. 1 November 1973) — former Miss World 1994.

Great-granddaughter: Aaradhya Bachchan (b. November 2011).

Harivansh Rai Bachchan:

  • Born 27 November 1907, Babupatti, Allahabad
  • Allahabad University; University of Cambridge (PhD on W. B. Yeats, 1952)
  • Hindi lecturer at Allahabad University (1941–52); All India Radio Hindi advisor (1955); Officer of Special Duty (External Affairs) to the Government of India (1955–66)
  • Member of Rajya Sabha (nominated): 1966–72
  • Madhushala (1935) — most-recited Hindi poetry of the 20th century; quartets about wine as metaphor for life
  • Madhubala (1936); Madhukalash (1937) — together with Madhushala form the "Madhutrayee"
  • Other works: Nishanibhi, Akul Antar, Satrangini, Pravas Ki Diary
  • Memoirs Kya Bhuloon Kya Yaad Karoon (1969), Neerh Ka Nirman Phir (1970), Basere Se Door (1977), Dashdwar Se Sopaan Tak (1985) — four-volume autobiography
  • Translated Shakespeare's Macbeth and Othello into Hindi
  • Padma Bhushan: 1976
  • Died 18 January 2003, Mumbai

What the Bachchan Family Story Teaches Us

A trader father. A homemaker mother. A first wife lost to TB at 25. A second marriage of 60+ years. Two sons — one becoming the most-famous Indian actor of the 20th century, one a businessman. Grandchildren who became Bollywood stars themselves.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Harivansh Rai story carries the same lesson. Some family lines produce extraordinary celebrity in subsequent generations from quiet origins. The Bachchan tree — Hindi poet father → Bollywood superstar son → Bollywood actor grandson — is one of India's most-distinctive family lines.

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