Suu Kyi's Diwali visit, a trip down memory lane

A lengthy programme showcasing India as a country on the move, in the midst of a dazzling display of nostalgia, awaits Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi when she arrives here for a six-day visit on Diwali. Jayanth Jacob reports.

A lengthy programme showcasing India as a country on the move, in the midst of a dazzling display of nostalgia, awaits Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi when she arrives here for a six-day visit on Diwali.

For New Delhi, it would be an occasion to warm up to an old friend and fellow-advocate of democracy.

During the trip down memory lane, which would include a visit by Suu Kyi to her alma mater Lady Shri Ram College, she is expected to meet up with old friends. The Myanmar leader will also deliver the Nehru memorial lecture on Nov 14.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi would play host to Suu Kyi at her 10 Janpath residence, which is next door to 24 Akbar Road - where the Burmese leader stayed when her mother, Daw Khin Yi, was the ambassador to India in 1960.

India had incurred the wrath of Burma's military junta when it awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Prize to Suu Kyi in 1993.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, will also travel to Andhra Pradesh, where rural development minister Jairam Ramesh is keen on providing her with a glimpse of steps taken to ensure rural and women empowerment.

In Bangalore, the Burmese leader will visit the Indian Institute of Science and the Infosys campus. In Delhi, she will meet PM Manmohan Singh, vice-president Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar.