Renowned Police Officer, author, philanthropist Kiran Bedi visits Parikh Worldwide

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During a recent meet-and-greet gathering at ITV Gold studios in New Jersey, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Kiran Bedi who just released a book, said the two things she enjoyed doing through life was engaging in sports and studying.

Bedi, who also runs a foundation to benefit children in India, was the first woman to reach officer rank at IPS in 1972. She was also the first Indian and first woman to be appointed United Nations Police Adviser in the U.N. Department of Peace Operations as head of the Police Division in 2003.

In New York recently at the UN’s invitation to participate in the Chiefs of Police conference, Bedi took time during her three-month long visit, to release her new book, ‘Fearless Governance’ at the Indian Consulate in New York on August 29, 2022.

She was also a guest of Parikh Worldwide Media and ITV Gold in New Jersey, Aug. 30, 2022, where she was invited by Padma Shri recipient Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of the media outlet. She met community members and staff and addressed the gathering as well as answered questions.

She was also interviewed on the ITV Gold program Face to Face, with host Nidhi Kathuria, during which she spoke about her life journey and her passions as well as her new book.

‘Fearless Governance’ is an account of her experiences during her five years as the 24^th Lt. Governor of Puducherry, from 2016 to 2021. “It is about challenges you face and what you can do to succeed as a leader,” she said.

The book deals with the concept of leadership across private and government sectors, and Bedi has served in these sectors winning recognitions in her endeavors managing non-profit organizations (NGOs), receiving national and international awards, heading police units, winning the President’s Police Medal in 1979, and receiving the prestigious Ramson Magsaysay award in 1994.

Her job at IPS was a result of pure determination, she said, ascribing her success to self-motivation and the upbringing in her home where education and sports took prime place.

Bedi’s non-profit organization, India Vision Foundation was formed while she was at IPS, she said. A visionary herself, Bedi, as supervisor of prisons, introduced education, vocational training, prayers, meditation, music, opening up bank accounts for prison inmates, allowing children under 6 to stay with mothers, and starting a school for them.

India Vision Foundation is educating these children, training them in skills and making them self-reliant, she noted. Children who were out of school have become teachers and professionals today, she said.

Bedi said the national program implemented in other prisons has garnered a large support group in the U.S. That group organized a book release event at the Indian Consulate in New York. Proceeds from book sales will fund causes of the Foundation, such as adoption of such children, and their education and vocational training, etc.

Known for not mincing words and being forthright, Bedi said, “I have never compromised with corruption and illegality or wrong direction.” During her years at Puducherry for example, there were never any wrong calls, any wrong orders, any wrong directions, she said, adding, “We were acting within the law and we got all the support we needed.”

In her interview, Bedi said she had played an active part in the anti-corruption movement, leading to her involvement in politics. “I am good at administration. I’m not mentally into politics,” she said.

Speaking of the roadblocks and challenges Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party faces, she said it is striving to overcome obstacles and work in favor of the common man. Every common man in India has a bank account today, many have drinking water and schooling, she pointed out. “A lot has changed and a lot is changing,” Bedi said.

A firm believer in self-discipline, Bedi’s advice to youth is – value time, and study and learn at a young age. That forms the basis of a successful life, according to her. Playing competitively is as important because it teaches teamwork, how to fall, how to get up, how to exercise, and how to endure, she said, citing her own life. “You can only invest in time, and use it smartly,” she said.

She herself plans to continue forging a successful future. “Life goes on and you respond to challenges and optimize the opportunities,” she said.