Served the nation as an IPS officer, served the nation as an activist- always bringing the change “Kiran Bedi.”

A former tennis player who left her childhood passion to do something for the nation. After joining the civil service, she dedicated herself to serving the nation. She contributed in multiple ways towards its progress and development. She is none other than Kiran Bedi. The first Indian woman to join the Indian Police services, and after putting 35 years of her valuable life, she resigned voluntarily to pursue social activism and writing. 

Recently, she has served as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry till 2021. For her priceless contributions, she has been bestowed with different accolades and recognitions at the Indian and International levels. Served as the first woman to be appointed head of the United Nations Police and Police Advisor being one among them. 

Career Trajectory: From Being a Tennis Player to an IPS Officer 

Since the age of 9, she has been passionate about tennis, and her level of determination has made her even cut her hair short to avoid any distractions in her game. In 10 years of her tennis career, she won several accolades including the Asian Law Tennis Championship. 

She started her professional career as an Indian Police Service officer in 1972 at the age of 30. After interacting with civil servants at the service club in Amritsar, she was inspired to serve the nation in a public works department. She has served in various states after joining as an officer, including Delhi, Goa, Chandigarh, and Mizoram. Despite being a police officer, she has served in multiple honors, bringing a change at a social level in society. 

Making India Self-Reliant: Campaign Against Drugs and Alcohol 

In 1986, when she took ownership of Delhi’s jail as DCP, she observed the prevalent drug abuse issue and worked diligently towards it. She set up detox centres in prison to eradicate the cause. Various communities supported this initiative by providing basic amenities like blankets and medicines. A lot of doctors and yoga instructors came forward to offer their services for people’s holistic development. She was widely recognized for her initiative and traveled to different regions of the nation to deliver lectures and speeches regarding the same. Later, the detox centres were named Navjyoti Police Foundation.

With the objective to make India self-reliant she worked on causes of alcoholism and drug abuse in various parts of the nation – Mizoram being one of them. The state was majorly suffering from the issue of drug abuse that has taken a lot of Mizoram’s teenagers into its influence. Heroin was the major reason behind all the drug dealing and smuggling. Bedi also discovered that repeated criminals are mostly alcoholics. To mitigate the crimes, Bedi used her wits and came up with a solution. 

Mizoram was a highly Christian-dominated state, and Bedi knew that their religious beliefs and prayers might reduce their alcoholism habits. Saturdays were declared as days meant for prayers and rehabilitation. On those days, criminals were made to pray in the police station, and post that they were given treatment for their habits

Transformational Face Behind the Tihar Jail  

With the intent to bring a change in prisoners’ lives living in Tihar, she came forward to transform the Tihar jail in Delhi into a modern prison providing modern necessities, including education. She opened various vocational training programmes in the prison, allowing the prisoners to resume their jobs after release. She further worked towards empowering them and making them a better human by introducing them to practices like Yoga and Vipassana meditation that could improve their perspective on life. 

Additionally, she tried to incorporate cultural values. She tried to give the feeling of living outside the jail like any other human by organising events like sports events, prayers, and festival celebrations. Basic operational services like the bank, carpentry and weaving were made available inside the jail to make their life a little easier. To serve their sweet cravings, a small bakery was also set up inside the jail. To make the prisoners feel valued for their suggestions, a petition box was also installed where the prisoners could place their complaints regarding the authorities or the facilities at the jail. Her initiative brought tremendous changes to the prisoners’ lives and the overall environment of prison. The success can be measured from the conduct of the toughest and most regular criminals; they have also started showing signs of gentle behaviour and kindness.  

Aap Ki Kachehri: Talking About Real-Life Issues 

She worked towards solving real-life issues of people by hosting a court show, Aap ki Kachehri….. Kiran ke saath starred on the TV channel Star Plus, where the disputes between different parties were discussed. There were two seasons of the show that were aired on television, both aimed to solve people’s real-life conflicts. 

The way forward

Kiran Bedi made tremendous improvements in society by contributing as a police officer and a social activist. Being someone who comes from a different background in sports and then made a transition in her IPS career and worked for the nation tirelessly, she is the epitome of pure hard work, passion, and determination.   

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