Amitabh Bachchan remembers late mother Teji Bachchan’s final moments, recalls instructing doctors to ‘stop’ trying to revive her

“No pictures of her today in remembrance, none could do justice to her beauty,” he wrote, as he remembered his ‘amma ji’, whom he described as ‘the most beautiful mother in the entire universe’. The actor wrote, “We stood holding hands all of us near and dear .. the nieces and the children in tears .. until .. 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.”

Speaking of her death, he wrote, “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 consolation of the departure.”

A ‘million memories’ flashed through his mind as he placed a hand gently on her forehead. Later, he wrote, “The hall in Prateeksha was made stark, cleaned and washed. Her portrait, her beautiful face, by the side of a few white flowers.” Her nieces came and recited the Granth Saheb Shabd all night, as he lay next to her.

After her cremation, her ashes were ‘taken to the sacred places which she believed and prayed at’. Her portrait was placed next to her husband Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s, in his room.

Teji Bachchan was a social activist and teacher. She was admitted to the Lilavati hospital in Mumbai for several months in 2007, before her condition worsened. She died on December 21, at the age of 93.

Read his full blog here…

.. 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 here 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 ..

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 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 being her home ..

the hall in Prateeksha was made stark .. 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 ..

her nieces came .. and brought in the Granth Saheb Shabd in recitation, sitting by her side all night .. I lay on the floor along .. 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 and prayed at ..

the prayer meet .. with recitations of the Granth Saheb by the recognised 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 along side ..

in reverence .. the room remains so ..

permanently ..

and she remains permanently with us ..

Amma ji .. the most beautiful Mother in the entire Universe ..