Kiran Bedi won national attention when she won Magsaysay Award in 1994 and she has been in the news ever since. She was one of the crusaders who stood by Anna Hazare in his anti-corruption movement, and stole the limelight. Bedi declared her support to Narendra Modi for a stable government months ahead of the election – and she was proved right.
She is India’s first and highest woman ranking officer in the IPS. Bedi’s tough demeanor and vision saw drastic changes in the fields of police reforms, prison reforms, woman empowerment and rural and community development. Her efforts won national and international recognition, and her organizations were awarded the “Serge Soitiroff Memorial Award” for drug abuse prevention by the UN. Kiran Bedi influenced several decisions of the Indian Police Service, particularly in the areas of narcotics control, Traffic management, and VIP security.
When and where was she born?
June 9, 1949 Amritsar, Punjab, India
Interesting facts on Bedi’s life and career:
- She is also popularly referred to as Crane Bedi for towing then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s car for a parking violation.
- She holds a Law, Masters, and a Doctorate degree.
- She obtained her Ph. D in social sciences from IIT Delhi in 1993. Her subject was drug abuse and domestic violence.
- Before joining the Indian police service, she was a lecturer at Khalsa College for women, Amritsar.
- She was a National and Asian Tennis champion.
- Kiran Bedi has written a biography titled I Dare.
- She is the founder of two NGOs, Navjyoti and India Vision Foundation, which reach out to thousands of under -served children, women and men in the areas of education, vocational skills, environment, counseling, and health care to the urban and rural poor ,including prisoners and policemen’s ‘ children.
- Bedi was voted as India’s most admired (THE WEEK 2002), most trusted woman in India. (Readers Digest, March 2010, Navbharat Times 2012), MSN Most Admired Indian Female Icon 2011 and amongst top 10 women Icons of 2013 by The Economic Times.
- A film on Bedi ‘Yes, Madam Sir’ was produced by Australian film maker, Megan Doneman. The film was adjudged the “Best Documentary” at Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
- She is the recipient of several awards including President’s Gallantry Award in 1979, Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice 2005 , and Kalpana Chawla Excellence Awards 2010.