Why is Kiran Bedi a role model for Indian women?

There are some women who blaze a trail so bright, that their light illuminates everthing around. Kiran Bedi is one such woman. In 1972, she became the first Indian woman to join the Indian Police Service (IPS) as an officer. Over the course of a trailblazing career spanning 35 years, she brought in several reforms and was instrumental in reducing the number of crimes against women.

Born on June 9, 1949 in Amritsar, she is the second of four daughters born to Premlata and Prakash Lai Peshawaria. Her father was a tennis enthusiast and passed on this love to Kiran, who is an accomplished tennis player. She began her formal schooling in Sacred Heart Convent School, Amritsar and went on to earn a BA in English from Government College for Women in 1968, an MA in political science from Punjab University, Chandigarh in 1970, a law degree from the University of Delhi in 1988 and a PhD in social science from IIT, Delhi in 1993.

As an IPS officer, she served in a variety of roles, including narcotics officer, anti-terrorist specialist and administrator. She earned particular recognition as Inspector General of Prisons in 1994. She is credited with the transformation of one of the toughest prisons in Asia – Tihar. She introduced meditation and yoga into the daily routine of prisoners, leading to a marked decrease in violence and substance abuse. She also addressed corruption and human rights violations, improved sanitation and nutrition and implemented literacy drives for the prisoners.

She founded two voluntary nongovernmental organizations, Navjyoti in 1988 and India Vision Foundation in 1994 which provide primary education and adult literacy programs, vocational training, counselling services for women and drug rehabilitation for prisoners. In 2003, she became the first Indian to be appointed Police Advisor to the Secretary-General of the UN. In 2016 Bedi was appointed lieutenant governor of Puducherry.

She is the recipient of numerous awards in India and abroad and has also won several tennis championships.

Picture Credit : Google