Hindi poet Bachchan dies

One of the most influential Hindi poets, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, has died at the age of 96.

Bachchan published about 30 collections of poetry, including the early collection, Madhushala.

He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1940 and later taught English literature in India.

He translated several classic English works of literature - including Shakespeare's tragedies - into Hindi.

In 1966, Mr Bachchan was nominated to the upper house of the Indian parliament in recognition of his contribution to the Hindi language.

He died after a prolonged illness in the city of Mumbai (Bombay), where he lived with one of his two sons, the movie star, Amitabh Bachchan.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service