Kiran Bedi – Heroine of the Month for February 2013
In light of the recent gang-rape and murder of a young woman in India, this month’s Heroine of the Month is Kiran Bedi, India’s first woman police officer. Ms. Bedi joined the police force in 1972*, two years after earning her Master’s degree from Punjab University where she graduated top in her class. She said she joined because she had “an urge to be outstanding.”
Kiran Bedi started as a traffic control officer where she gained the nickname “Crane” for having towed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s car. Now that takes guts. Not content with her assignment, she rose quickly to Deputy Inspector General. She later served as the Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau, and also as the Civilian Police Advisor in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Ms. Bedi’s education never stopped. She earned a law degree from the University of Dehli and a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology. She is also an athlete having won national and Asian tennis championships.
Always the social activist, she campaigned for detoxification and literacy programs in prisons and actively protested against government corruption. She is also the founder of two NGOs which reach out to thousands of underserved children, women and men in the areas of education, vocational skills, environment, counseling, and health care to the urban and rural poor. Currently her NGOs are running four Community Colleges, part of the National Open University, to provide vocational and soft skills to Indian youth.
In 2007 she retired after 35 years of service to her country. She continues to work for the people of India, women’s and prisoner’s rights, and education.
Who are your real world heroines? Enter your nomination in the comments section below.
Peace, Seeley
* The first woman to serve a major metropolitan police force in the USA was Marie Owens who joined the Chicago Police in 1891.
