Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Amitabh Bachchan to open museum in father's honour

Amitabh Bachchan is reportedly planning to open a museum dedicated to the poetry of his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

The actor explained that he felt the speed of modern communication had diminished the importance of classic literature and language.

"I do believe that the richness of our language is getting lost. We used to spend a lot of thought and lot of energy behind what was written and spoken. Perhaps it was a lot richer in earlier times," Bachchan told IANS.

"I don't want to blame today's generation. The time has changed, communication has become very rapid and very quick."

The 68-year-old, who is an advocate of social networking site Twitter and has his own blog, said that he wants to preserve the richness of the Hindi language.

"I've been thinking for a long time about opening a museum where I could store my father's well-known works that can be used for research work. I hope we are able to fulfill our plans to open a museum soon and preserve his iconic works."

Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who died in 2003, is credited with works such as Madhushala and Agneepath, and is regarded as one of the greatest Hindi poets of the 20th century.

Amitabh Bachchan has been actively promoting his father's works internationally.

"I didn't know that my father's work is popular in not only India but also abroad," he said. "On the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of my father, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in New York had invited me for the recital of his works at the Lincoln Centre and there were at least 3,500-4,000 people who had come as an audience."

He is now planning to travel the world reciting his father's poems.