Amidst
rising India-Pakistan bellicosity, the notion of an 'Asian Union' along the
lines of European Union, is like a salve
on a deep wound that needs radical surgery. Improbable though it is, Asian
Union is not a pipe dream. It will not happen in the next few decades. But in
the next hundred years - who knows?
Dr Beni Agarwal
is a diplomat extraordinaire. India's ambassador to Greece, Lebanon, Bulgaria,
and six other countries; an M Phil from Oxford
a PhD from the US, he was Asst Professor of Political Science at Allahabad
University - which had Harbans Rai Bacchan, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Meghnad Saha FRS,
Dr MM Joshi (BJP President), Rajendra Singh (RSS Sarsanghchalak) and other luminaries in the faculty during his time. He thus
has the academic underpinning and the diplomatic expertise to explore the
concept of Asian Union.
He founded 'Association for Asian Union (AAU),' in 2001.
After working on it for fourteen years,' he concluded that the time was not yet
ripe for it. And so in March 2015 he proposed an “Asian Democratic Union (ADU) - with
Australia and New Zealand as Associates Members and USA, Canada, and other alike countries as
Observers - to promote Human Rights, secularism Peace and Prosperity in Asia
and in the World."
AAU meet
yesterday had many articulate voices. The more eloquent of these were those of HSH
Immanuel, Head of State of the Principality of Monte de Agrella, an independent
state in Europe, Prof Suman Khanna, PhD, Prof Anindita Balslev, PhD (Paris) and
Dr J Patnaik, PhD, Vice Chancellor,
Kalinga University. Under discussion was the name change from AU to ADU.
Manjulika Agarwal and I suggested that the name Asian Union be retained because
it hinted at a broad concept; the sub- text may say AAU's focus will be on Human
Rights, secularism, democracy and prosperity. I think our suggestion was
accepted though a formal word on it is not out.
Dr Agarwal
has an invitation to meet the PM and thus the opportunity to urge the PM to
include AU/ASU in his agenda for peace and prosperity in Asia.
Yesterday
was also Dr Agarwal's 80th birthday. We wish him and AAU/ADU a long, healthy
life of success.
