Introducing: Kiran Bedi

Kiran Bedi is the first woman to have joined the officer ranks of the Indian Police Service. She was the 24th Lt Governor of Puducherry.  She served the United Nations as Civilian Police Advisor in Peacekeeping Operations. She has a PhD from IIT Delhi with a post-doctoral Nehru fellowship. She has also authored several books. She has been an Asian tennis champion, winner of Medal for Gallantry and the Magsaysay Award. She has founded two NGOs, Navjyoti and India Vision Foundation which serve the underprivileged in rural-urban areas and in prisons since the last 30 years. Past surveys by Readers Digest and The Week Magazine rated her as India’s Most Trusted and Admired Woman in India.

Tell us about your early years – which city you were born in, where you were brought up and your academic and other interests during your early years.

I was born and brought up in Amritsar, Punjab. Focused on empowering us with quality education, my parents sent all four of us sisters to the best school in the city – Sacred Heart Convent. Over my growing up years, my interests have been varied – academics, debating, athletics, tennis and theatre. Among these, tennis was a family sport, played by my father and by us sisters. I pursued competitive tennis and became the national level tennis champion, representing my country overseas. I also became eligible to participate in Wimbledon junior championship.

Tell us which academic qualifications you hold, and from which universities? What were the years in which you secured them?

I graduated in Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English from Government College for Women, Amritsar in 1968, and in Masters in Politics Science from Punjab University in Chandigarh in 1970. Subsequently, I completed Bachelor of Law from University of Delhi in 1988 and Doctorate of Philosophy in social sciences from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1993.

You began a career in the police force at a time when it was very unconventional for women. What attracted you to it?

What attracted me to this profession was an inner calling to add not just meaning but a noble purpose to my life.  I aspired to be in a position of influence where I could help people in need. And where can one achieve that best other than in public service? This led me to sit for the Union Public Service Examination. After passing it, I chose Indian Police Service because for me, policing gives the power to correct, power to reform and power to provide instant justice. I was also clear that mine had to be a selection based on merit and not by any other means. 

Do you believe India’s police force today is more accepting of women than they were when you joined it? If yes, what has changed?

India’s police force is adapting to evolving social needs and cultural growth. Today, women’s participation in the police force and many other professions is recognised as a necessity for all round social and economic development. There is increased visibility and acknowledgement of women’s potential. There are policies supporting women empowerment. There is also massive progress in education of women and their mobility, making it easier for them to aspire for, join and succeed in what were traditionally male-dominated fields.

You have been India’s first woman police officer serving society in a variety of roles, a tennis player who’s represented India internationally, Police Advisor to the UN Secretary General, author, inspirational speaker, administrator and are transforming society via your NGOs. In what is clearly a very fulfilling life of multiple roles, are you able to share 2-3 achievements that were most rewarding to you as a person.

I have put my heart and soul in every role, with the intention of serving people better, making their lives better. Each role has enriched me as a person, and prepared me for future ones. In that sense, every role in public life has been equally fulfilling, equally rewarding.

In having interacted with diverse elements of Indian society over decades, what are the significant changes (for better and worse) you have observed over time in India’s society?

India’s society is becoming more and more progressive and inclusive, while treasuring its heritage and its civilisational roots.

As a police officer, hands-on social scientist and inspirational speaker what do you see as India’s biggest inherent strengths and challenges in achieving its ambition of Viksit Bharat by 2047? How well-placed is it to overcome the challenges?

Today under the very able leadership of our Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, India is on its way to becoming the third largest economy of the world. The journey to becoming a developed country is a much longer one and will require sustained focus on social reform and uplift in the form of increased, literacy, right and timely education, better health and raised standards of living. This will go hand in hand with economic development. So, while economic growth is happening, India’s big challenge is sustainability of growth. Secondly, the development journey is not owned by just the government. A lot will depend on the alertness and wisdom of the Indian electorate in selecting the country’s future leadership to prevent sabotage of India’s growth. So, there also needs to be a commitment at individual level in the country to exercise responsibility in continuation of national growth.