General Secretary, Temple of Understanding India Foundation; Secretary, The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Delhi NCT
Dr. A. K. Merchant is the General Secretary, Temple of Understanding India Foundation (a global interfaith association). He also serves as National Trustee, Sarvodaya International Trust; President, Mintra Foundation (resource centre for waste plastics management); Visiting Faculty, Centre for Cultural Resources & Training, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. He is an active member of the Baha'i Faith since 1975 and continues to hold administrative positions serving on the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Delhi since 1987 and the on National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India from 1989 until 2023.
Dr. Merchant is the author of three monographs: (i) Communal Harmony-India's Greatest Challenge (1991) written for the National Spiritual Assembly of India, which has been quoted in one of the Supreme Court Judgments on "Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi" dispute, and (ii) Hindu Dharma evam Baha'i Dharma (1999), (iii) Five Basic Human Values & the Baha'i Faith (2009), and over two hundred fifty articles and research papers that have been published in national and international dailies, journals and books. Dr. Merchant has represented the Temple of Understanding as well as the Baha'i Community of India at numerous international and national conferences, symposia and seminars in India and abroad since 1985 until 2008. He was invited to address the 8th Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace, September 1990, held in Ulan Bator, Mongolia on the subject "Youth & the Interfaith Movement-Challenges & Opportunities from the viewpoint of the Baha'i Faith".
He is an alumnus of the United States' State Department International Exchange Program 2005 for the project on "religious diversity in America post 9/11". In October 26-28, 2011 he was invited by H. H. Pope Benedict XVI to global interfaith conference to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Assisi and the World Prayer Day for Justice and Peace held at the Vatican and Assisi. He has been actively involved with participating and contributing to the deliberations of all the Parliament of the World's Religions since 1993, Chicago (1993), Cape Town (1999), Barcelona (2004), Melbourne (2009), Salt Lake City (2015), Toronto (2018), and the most recent one held virtually from 16 th through 18 th October 2021. On several occasions he was invited by the H. H. the Dalai Lama to address interfaith conferences and assist with organization of international conferences and seminars in India. He is an active promoter of gender justice and has spoken on numerous occasions for the implementation of Beijing Platform for Action, post 4th World Women Summit, September 1995, and written on the subject of Gender Equality; the Environment and Ecology; World Peace, Agenda 2030-U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, inter alia. He has served as Resource Person for the promotion on discourses of science, religion and development.
In recognition of his manifold services Dr. Merchant has received numerous prizes and awards from academic institutions and civil society.