Kaun Banega Crorepati 16: Amitabh Bachchan recalls his father late Harivansh Rai Bachchan's dedication towards education and writing, reveals 'Babuji completed his PhD in 2 years and also wrote 200 poems while studying'

Kaun Banega Crorepati season 16, television's renowned quiz show, continues to captivate millions throughout the country with its fascinating gameplay and life-changing prospects. The show's recent episode, aired on August 19th, featured Dr. Raghavendra, a Sanskrit professor from Bangalore, who took the hot seat to change his mother's life. While in the hot seat, he not only displayed his expertise but also engaged in numerous poignant exchanges, expressing his tremendous admiration for Mr Bachchan's father and legendary poet, the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan. This made Big B recall some intriguing anecdotes about his father, here's what he shared:

Big B talks about his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan transcribing many Sanskrit scriptures to Hindi. He said, "He had translated many scriptures. He was an English professor at Allahabad University but he used to write poetry in Hindi. He went to Cambridge for his PhD. He studied English Literature there. And you'd know more about it in Cambridge, it takes about 4 years to complete. Babuji had completed his PhD in 2 years, he also wrote 200 poems while studying.

Big B further shared that his father loved journaling, he mentioned, "Babuji used to write daily in his diary. So when his autobiography was printed, there was an entire volume which was only about his diary. It was titled as 'Pravas Ki Diary'. He had done so much work.

There were times when he would get tired from sitting while working. So he would stand and work, he especially got a table made on which he would stand and work. So he would stand and write his poems.

There was a biography written on Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Pandit Ji asked Babuji to translate it into Hindi for him. He gave Babuji very little time. He gave the work in August and asked him to get the book published by November during his birthday. So Babuji used to work day and night. And when he used to work in his room he had put a painting on the door as a sign to not disturb him.

Big B further quipped, "What happened once was that I didn't hear Babuji's voice or meet him for many days. We were all a little worried wondering what could it be. Why is he still busy, I went inside and I saw that his left hand was dipped in hot water. I asked him what was he doing and he said, 'My hand was hurting while writing so I dipped it in hot water.' I said, 'But you write with your right hand. and you have kept your left hand in the water.' So he said, 'Yes, my right hand was hurting but with my willpower, I transferred that pain to my left and I have kept that in water'."

During childhood, we would wake up late to go to school and all. Babuji would scold us, then he told us a sentence in Sanskrit, You would better know if I am reciting it correctly, 'suryoday chyaastmaye, chashaeenam ; jahaat lakshmi rapichakravartinam' which means the one who sleeps during the day, Goddess Lakshmi leaves them even if he is a king. That is why Babuji used to tell us to wake up before the sunrise and study.