Kiran Bedi (born 9 June 1949) is an Indian social activist and a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. She became the first woman to join the IPS in 1972, and most recently held the post of Director General, BPR&D (Bureau of Police Research and Development), Ministry of Home Affairs. She retired from the IPS in December, 2007, after taking voluntary retirement. She was the host and TV judge of the popular TV series "Aap Ki Kachehri" (English, "Your Court"), broadcast on the Indian TV channel, Star Plus. This program features Indian families approaching her TV court and explaining their problems to her. She then offers legal advice and monetary help to solve the problem. This program is classified as an EDUtainment program, as it attempts to simplify and explain legal procedures and Indian law to the viewers.
She has also founded two NGOs in India: Navjyoti for welfare and preventive policing in 1987 and the India Vision Foundation for prison reformation, drug abuse prevention and child welfare in 1994. She is one of the winners of the 2011 Bharatiya Manavata Vikas Puraskar.
Early life
Kiran Bedi was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India. She is the second of the four daughters of Prakash Peshawaria and Prem Peshawaria.
She attended the Sacred Heart Convent School, Amritsar, where she joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC). She took up tennis, a passion she inherited from her father, a tennis player. She won the Junior National Lawn Tennis Championship in 1966, the Asian Lawn Tennis Championship in 1972, and the All-India Interstate Women's Lawn Tennis Championship in 1976. In addition, she also won the All-Asian Tennis Championship, and won the Asian Ladies Title at the age of 22.
Later, she obtained her B.A. in English (Hons.) (1964–68) from the Government College for Women, Amritsar. She then earned a Master’s degree (1968–70) in Political Science from Punjab University, Chandigarh, graduating at the top of her class.
Career
Even while in active service in the IPS, she pursued her educational goals, and obtained a Law degree (LLB) in 1988 from Delhi University, Delhi. In 1993, she obtained a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the Department of Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, where the topic of her thesis was 'Drug Abuse and Domestic Violence'.
She began her career as a Lecturer in Political Science (1970–72) at Khalsa College for Women, Amritsar. In July 1972, she joined the Indian Police Service. Bedi joined the police service "because of her urge to be outstanding".
She served in a number of tough assignments ranging from New Delhi traffic postings, Deputy Inspector General of Police in insurgency prone Mizoram, Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of Chandigarh, Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau, to a United Nations delegation, where she became the Civilian Police Advisor in United Nations peacekeeping operations. For her work in the UN, she was awarded a UN medal. She is popularly referred to as Crane Bedi for towing the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's car for a parking violation, during the PM's tour of United States at the time.
Kiran Bedi influenced several decisions of the Indian Police Service, particularly in the areas of narcotics control, traffic management, and VIP security. During her stint as the Inspector General of Prisons, in Tihar Jail (Delhi) (1993–1995), she instituted a number of reforms in the management of the prison, and initiated a number of measures such as detoxification programs, yoga, vipassana meditation, redressing of complaints by prisoners and literacy programs. For this she won the 1994 Ramon Magsaysay Award, and the 'Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship', to write about her work at Tihar Jail.
She was last appointed as Director General of India's Bureau of Police Research and Development.
In May 2005, she was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Law in recognition of her “humanitarian approach to prison reforms and policing”.
On 27 November 2007, she had expressed her wish to voluntarily retire from the police force to undertake new challenges in life. On 25 December 2007, the Government of India agreed to relieve Bedi of her duties as Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development.
"Yes Madam, Sir", an award-winning, critically acclaimed film of Kiran Bedi's life, directed by Australian director, Megan Doneman, premiered as an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival. It has yet to be released.
After retirement, Kiran Bedi launched a new website, www.saferindia.com, on January 3, 2007. The motto of this website is to help people whose complaints are not accepted by the local police. This project is undertaken by the non-profit, voluntary and non-government organization she founded, the India Vision Foundation.
Kiran Bedi also became host in 2009-10 on the TV show Aap Ki Kachehri Kiran Ke Saath on Star Plus.
Contributions
Navjyoti (which literally means New Enlightenment), set up in 1987, and India Vision Foundation, set up in 1994, are the two major voluntary organizations established by her with the objectives of improving the condition of drug addicts and poor people. Her efforts have won national and international recognition, and her organizations were awarded the "Serge Soitiroff Memorial Award" for drug abuse prevention by the United Nations.
Her autobiography, 'I Dare. It's Always Possible', was released in 1998.
Personal life
Kiran Bedi married Brij Bedi in 1972, the year she started her career in the Indian Police Service (IPS), and three years later, in 1975, they had daughter Saina. Among her other three siblings, Shashi is an artist settled in Canada, Reeta is a clinical psyhcologist and writer, and Anu is a lawyer.Kiran Bedi's Daughter Saina is also involved in community service. She along with her husband Ruzbeh N. Bharucha, is producing short films and documentaries. Ruzbeh is a journalist by profession. He is an author of five books to date and his latest book and film Yamuna Gently Weeps, pertaining to demolition of Yamuna Pushta Slums in Delhi has been released and internationally acclaimed.
Biography
- Its Always Possible: Kiran Bedi. Oct 1999, Indra Publishing.
- "What Went Wrong?", collection of The fortnightly column written by Kiran Bedi.
- The Motivating Bedi by Kiran Bedi.
Awards and Honours
| Year of Award or Honor | Name of Award or Honor | Awarding Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Star Parivar Award | |
| 2005 | Mother Teresa Memorial National Award | Indian Development Foundation (IDF) |
| 2002 | Woman of the Year Award | Blue Drop Group Management, Cultural and Artistic Association, Italy. |
| 1999 | Pride of India Award | American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) |
| 1997 | Fourth Joseph Beuys Award | Germany |
| 1995 | Lion of the Year | |
| 1995 | Father Machismo Humanitarian Award | Don Bosco Shrine Office, Bombay-India |
| 1995 | Mahila Shiromani Award | |
| 1994 | Magsaysay Award | Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation |
| 1991 | Asia Region Award for Drug Prevention and Control | International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT), Norway |
| 1981 | Women of the Year Award | National Solidarity Weekly, India |
| 1979 | President’s Gallantry Award | President of India |
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