Big B recalls father Harivansh Rai Bachchan in a poetic note on life and struggle

Amitabh Bachchan recently shared a thoughtful late-night note reflecting on life, struggle and the power of silence. In his post, the veteran actor drew parallels between the philosophies of his father, the late poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, and renowned Urdu poet Firaq Gorakhpuri, offering a calm and introspective message to his readers.

Recalling a conversation with his “pujya babuji," Amitabh wrote about discussing the idea of struggle as an inseparable part of life on his blog. “Pujya Babuji se ek din aise hi main keh raha tha ki jeevan mein bada sangharsh hai. Unka uttar aaya, ‘Beta, jab tak jeevan hai, tab tak sangharsh hai’ (As long as there is life, there is struggle). Abhi ek pustak dekh raha tha Firaq Gorakhpuri ji ki, jismein unka ek sher mila (sic)."

The actor went on to reflect on how closely the thoughts and emotions of his father mirrored those of Firaq Gorakhpuri, a contemporary of Harivansh Rai Bachchan and a close friend. Highlighting their shared philosophies, Amitabh also noted that both poets belonged to the Kayastha community, while reiterating that his father never believed in caste divisions.

“Firaq Gorakhpuri ji was the eminent poet from Allahabad, now Prayagraj and a contemporary of Babuji .. they were close friends too .. his poetry was embellished in Urdu .. he was a Kayast . a caste, a social order prevalent, a stratum an echelon – Hinduism .. the same as Babuji, who, as I have mentioned often, never believed in casteism !!! look how similar their words and emotions be (sic)."

Sharing that the clock was nearing 4 am on February 3 when he wrote the post, Amitabh reflected on the stillness of the night and the way silence allows one to truly connect with oneself, away from the noise of the day.

“Yes, it is almost 4 am of the 3rd of February 2026 and I sit in the silence of the night to connect the silence speaks louder than any thought occupying your mind the entire day .. a refreshing moment of calm and peace .. until you fall into the guile and enticement of the social media (sic)."

He concluded his note with a sharp observation on the modern world and its many voices. “Oh ! what a wonderful World we live in .. where the side and alternate profession of the 8.2 billion humans is .. journalism, communicator, opinion maker, informer, collaborator, fifth columnist (sic)."