COUNTRY FOCUS
As India’s Ambassador to the Organisation of Prevention of Chemical Warfare (OPCW), I
was elected as Chairperson of its Executive Council, ten years after the fi rst Chairperson
from India (Ambassador Prabhakar Menon) was elected. It was a challenging tenure since
chemical weapons had been discovered in Libya and there were systematic reports of the
use of chemical weapons by both parties in Syria.
Nobel Prize, was translated into Dutch in 1913 by Fredrick
van Eeden. Impressive bronze busts of Tagore were installed
in the Town hall at The Hague and in Leiden during the
commemoration.
With the support of the Diaspora and the Indian Government,
I was able to fulfi ll the dream project of the Indian community,
the establishment of an Indian cultural centre. The Gandhi
Centre was inaugurated on the birthday of the Father of the
Indian Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on 2nd October 2011. This
was indeed one of the highlights of my stay there.
As the Indian Ambassador, I was able to bring together
the Bengali Diaspora to celebrate Netherlands’ fi rst ever
Durga Puja. It is a matter of pride for me that so many years
later, this tradition thrives. The Durga Puja celebrations in the
Netherlands are now attracting Diaspora from the Benelux
and the UK.
As the Ambassador, I was accredited to the International
Court of Justice (ICJ). We successfully ensured the victory
to the ICJ of India’s Judge Bhandari. The success was
unprecedented in many ways. India had been absent from the
World Court for 22 years. The election process is complex
since the successful candidate is required to get an absolute
majority in both the General Assembly and Security Council
where the polling takes place concurrently.
I was also able to persuade the Government to engage, like
other non-signatories to the Rome Treaty, including the USA,
Russian Federation and China, with the International Criminal
Court (ICC). This ensured that our views and perceptions
were taken into account informally during the proceedings
of the Court.
As India’s Ambassador to the Organisation of Prevention
of Chemical Warfare (OPCW), I was elected as Chairperson
of its Executive Council, ten years after the fi rst Chairperson
from India (Ambassador Prabhakar Menon) was elected. It
was a challenging tenure since chemical weapons had been
discovered in Libya and there were systematic reports of the
use of chemical weapons by both parties in Syria. As the Chair,
I am proud of having negotiated a consensus text on Syria,
which remained the only international consensus on this issue
until the Security Council agreed on a text two years later.
I was Ambassador when the Nirbhaya gang rape occurred.
I awoke one morning and discovered fl owers at the gate of
the Residence. These were off ered by the Dutch who were
horrifi ed at this inhuman act and wished to sympathize with
me as they perceived me to be an Indian woman who had
succeeded despite such odds in India. This was a complicated
issue for me. With the approval of the then External Aff airs
Minister, I opened a Condolence Book in the Embassy so that
the Dutch and Embassy colleagues, including myself, could
grieve together. I explained to my Dutch friends that this was
an aberration in our society, not a common occurrence.
Today, I continue my long association with the Netherlands
and The Dutch through the Dutch Embassy, the Hindustani
Diaspora and periodic visits to Amsterdam and The Hague.
The Dutch Embassy, located in the iconic Jinnah House in
APJ Abdul Kalam Marg, is like a second home. We recently
celebrated the International Women’s Day with great joy on
8th March 2019.
My Dutch friends remark that I am very Dutch! This is
indeed a compliment since they are generous, open-hearted,
and frank with tremendous appreciation for India’s culture,
civilisation and values. Dutch Indologists have ensured that
Indology continues as an important subject in the many
excellent Universities all over the Netherlands. Indian students
are now fl ooding to the Netherlands.
Let me conclude by citing from the noted Dutch scholar
and Indologist, Professor Dirk Kolff : “Why it should be India,
and not another place on the face of the Earth, that should
claim so much of the curiosity of the Dutch?” He answered
his own question: “India represents Europe’s most fascinating
‘Other’.” Indeed, having had the privilege of representing
India in this beautiful country, I do believe that it appropriately
sums up the enduring fascination of both countries for our
histories and cultures and concerning India, an attraction for
our antiquity and diversity.
.
* Author has a well deserved reputation as one of the
most experienced diplomats on Indo-EU relations. She has
headed, for the longest time ever, the Indian Foreign Ministry’s
department specialising in the EU aff airs.
22 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 4 • April-May 2019, Noida