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Kiran Bedi
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Kiran
Bedi was born on June 9, 1949. Her father Prakash Lal Peshawaria, a
landlord in Punjab was determined to educate his four daughters at a
time when women were largely limited to doing household tasks.
While
studying at the Sacred Heart Convent, Kiran joined the National
Cadet Corps (NCC) and took up tennis, a game which her father used
to play.
After
school she went on to study Political Science at the Government
College for Women, Amritsar. She loved the subject as she felt it
taught her about her role as a citizen of the country. |
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Kiran
excelled at sports particularly tennis. She won the inter-University
women's team title and bagged the national title as well as the
Asian title in tennis. Bedi says the game taught her the value of
hard work, the importance of staying fit and built in her the
qualities of fair play, team work, concentration, and the ability to
give in that extra bit under stress.
Kiran
fell in love with Brij Bedi a fellow student and married him in
1972. This was also the year when Kiran was selected for the Indian
Police Service (IPS). |
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Did you know?
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Kiran Bedi was the first woman police officer of the Indian Police
Service. Spectators at the 1973 Republic Day Parade were amazed to
see a lady at the head of the Police Contingent. The then Prime
Minister, Mrs. lndira Gandhi was so impressed that she invited Kiran
for breakfast with her the very next day. |
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Career Highlights |
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In 1977,
she put an end to the Akali-Nirankari Sikh riots at India Gate.
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1979, as DCP (West Delhi), she broke up a 200-year-old illicit
liquor trade.
* In
1981 as DCP (Traffic) she controlled traffic during the 1982 Asian
Games efficiently. She didn't hesitate to tow away cars and once
even challaned the Prime Minister's car for wrong parking near a car
repair shop.
* In
1985, as DCP (headquarters) she ordered 1600 pending promotions to
be made in a single day. Standing instructions were issued that if
any file was not cleared within three days the person concerned
would be called personally to explain the delay.
* In 1993, as the Inspector General of Asia's biggest jail - the
Tihar jail (9100 inmates including 300 women) she turned the
unlivable jail into an abode of education. Said Kiran while joining
her posting at the jail, "I want to transform this jail into an
Ashram within six months". She introduced many classes and programs
for the inmates including those on basic education, meditation, yoga
besides functions like mushairas, kavi sammelans, dramas and games,
which involved the jail inmates. For her effort to humanize the
Tihar jail she was honored with the 1994 Ramon Magsaysay Award.
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Not
everyone loves this gutsy woman though. Kiran Bedi has been often
criticized for being "media-hungry" and controversial. Often, she
has been transferred out of offices for trying to turn things
around. But despite these minor complaints, Kiran Bedi remains one
of the most inspiring Indian public figures. |
The eminent writer, Khushwant Singh, in one of his columns, With
Malice Towards One And All described Kiran Bedi as "The gutsiest
woman I have ever known". |
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