24 Akbar Road, home of Aung San Suu Kyi

At one time 24 Akbar Road was a warm, loving, welcoming home with cozy rooms. It never mattered it was a Lutyens property. What counted is that it was Daw Khin Kyi's home where I was always welcome

- Karan Thapar

If you've heard of 24 Akbar Road in New Delhi, it's probably the office of the Congress Party. That's what it was for almost 50 years. But I knew that residence from earlier decades when it was called Burma House and the residence of the Burmese ambassador.

Her name was Daw Khin Kyi and she was the widow of Burma's independence hero Aung San. After his assassination, she first served as a minister. In 1960, she was appointed to India and lived in Delhi for seven years.

Daw Khin Kyi was a friend of my parents and her daughter Aung San Suu Kyi a close friend of my sister Kiran. They were together in college at Lady Shri Ram. When my parents left for Kabul in 1964, Kiran, who still had to complete her last year, spent six months at 24 Akbar Road.

Daw Khin Kyi wasn't tall, and she was portly. She wore lungis, her hair pulled back into a small bun adorned with flowers. There was a kind expression on her face. She spoke softly. A smile was never far from her lips.