Kiran Bedi was born on June 9, 1949. Her father Prakash Lal Peshawaria, a landlord in Punjab was determined to educate his four daughters at a time when women were largely limited to doing household tasks. While studying at the Sacred Heart Convent, Kiran joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and took up tennis, a game which her father used to play. After school she went on to study Political Science at the Government College for Women, Amritsar. She loved the subject as she felt it taught her about her role as a citizen of the country. Kiran excelled at sports, particularly tennis. She won the Inter-University Women's Team title and bagged the national title as well as the Asian title in tennis. Bedi says the game taught her the value of hard work, the importance of staying fit and built in her the qualities of fair play, team work, concentration, and the ability to give in that extra bit under stress. DEVELOP QUALITY PEOPLE TO DELIVER BETTER PRODUCT

In July of 1972, she became the first female police officer in India when she joined the Indian Police Service (ISP). The greatest challenge to her philosophy came in 1994 when she was promoted to the rank of Inspector General of Prisons and given the responsibility of managing the largest and most notorious prison in the Asia Pacific area. Tihar Prison held approximately 8,500 prisoners, mostly male. Rife with corruption, where prisoners were denied basic human rights and lived in fear of prison officials, Tihar’s unofficial title of “hellhole” was well deserved. Bedi’s approach was, in her typical fashion, hands on. She visited the prisoners. She talked to them and learned of the horrible living conditions they endured at the hands of callous and cruel guards. She also learned that the drug trade was alive and well inside the prison.

 

Bedi also introduced a Vipassana meditation course to officers of the Police Training College (PTC) for Delhi police. The objective of the 12-day course (the first batch consisting of 34 officers and men took place last January 1-13, 1999) is teach the police to transform themselves to moral, credible human beings. In short, the meditation course aims at an internal path of change for the police force.

Vipassana Meditation

"The reason for doing this program is the painful realization that every policeman himself needs supervision today," Bedi says. She points out that the force has been entrusting the uniform to people who are not always reliable. With this meditation training course, Bedi hopes to shift from police "force" to police "service".

The Vipassana course would guide the individual to take the right path through regular introspection that will eventually lead to a broader and deeper self-awareness. The program enables a person in constantly changing situations (such as policemen and women) to maintain equanimity. "I see a whole new hope for revival of the police force through Vipassana," says Bedi who was posted to the PTC early 1999 and was pained to see low morale among the officers. "My goal is to organize Vipassana for all 1,500 trainees in this college." She herself has gone through the program and claims, "It is very rewarding and enriching indeed."

Dr. Kiran Bedi’s achievements and hard work gave her full satisfaction. She received the Police Medal for Gallantry as well as the Asia Region Award for Work in Prevention of Drug Abuse. In 1994 she was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award, also known as the Asian Nobel Prize. In 1997, Bedi was the recipient of the Swiss-German Joseph Beuys Award for Holistic and Innovative Management. She also awarded the first ever IIT - Delhi Alumni Association 1999 -2000,  awarded for outstanding contribution to National Development.
Awarded by the WESTERN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY USA, THE 2001 Morrison, Tom Gitchoff Award for actions that have significantly improved the quality of justice in India on February 24, 2001
Awarded "Woman of the Year" Award 2002 by the Blue Drop Group Management, Cultural and Artistic Association, Italy.

Kiran Bedi, the country's first lady Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, got prominent assignment at the United Nations. Her appointment was made by UN secretary general Kofi Annan.

Besides this she got valuable invitation from around the world. Like

● To represent India in American, European and Asian International Forums on the subject of Drug Abuse, Drug Trafficking Prevention, and Prison Reforms.

● To address International Police Chiefs Conference (1992), USA.

● To attend National Prayer Breakfast with the President of USA in 1995.

● To visit British Prisons on the invitation of British Foreign Office (1995).

● To attend United Nations World Social Summit in Denmark (1995).

● To attend “United Nations Women” Conference at BEIJING (1995).

● To attend United Nations Conference on Drug Abuse at New York (1998).

● Invited by the Mauritius Government to train Law Enforcement Agencies on Prevention of Domestic Violence (1998).

● Attended SAARC Workshop on Anti Narcotics, Planning & Development at Islamabad, Pakistan (1998).

● Invited to address Prison Governors Association, Annual Conference at Buxton, U.K. March 2000.

● Addressed the IV session of Senior Criminal Justice executive program at Bangkok in November 2000 organised by United States Govt. Department of Justice.

● Invited to OSLO, Norway as a Panelist for a Panel Discussion with Prof. Amartya Sen on the subject "Welfare Policing", March 2002.