“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you…….”
These lines by Rudyard Kipling seem to accurately voice the struggles and the resultant successes of our guest in conversation today, Dr. Kiran Bedi.
Being the first woman to join the Indian Police Service as an officer, she has indeed been a trailblazing police officer and also a fearless reformer. A leader with an innate ability to gauge organisational/political dimensions intricately, she has also served as LT. Governor of Puducherry and is the founder of Navjyoti India Foundation and India Vision Foundation.
Through this dialogue exchange today, our readers will get a glimpse of her persona as she speaks of her belief in crime prevention before crime detection, combatting systemic corruption, her efforts to empower and inspire more women in leadership roles, adopting technology and her views on being gender-blind while recruiting.
It is indeed an honour for Team SheAtWork to engage in a tete-a-tete with her.
Ques. You have been at the forefront of striving to create a more gender equitable society, how far have we come in this space?
Ans. When I began my student life and career thereafter, from then to now, there has been a huge acceleration in this space. That said, India being a rapidly developing nation, there is more scope for growth and though we have come a long way in being more gender agnostic, there is still a long way to go.
Ques. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘Accelerate Action’. What would you wish to do to accelerate action for the growth and development of women?
A. Most certainly it will be accelerating rural development; and the revolution in India through rural areas, can come by empowering women. Since my foundation, the Navjyoti India Foundation works in the rural areas, I will focus on the rural areas where 1/3rd of women are elected representatives and are leading the change in villages. The first step would be to make these elected rural women ‘mobile’ and thus, more visible. Providing Budget support for low cost battery driven scooters to empower women and allowing them the ease of movement from one place to another will stand us all in good stead. Also, equipping and upskilling women is essential for building their confidence. Creating self-help groups for women who are multi-tasking is yet another measure which will accelerate the growth of women, make them more confident and enable them to become financially independent.
Ques. Tihar before Dr. Kiran Bedi and Tihar after Dr. Kiran Bedi is a massive change. What were the challenges you encountered and how did you overcome them in the process of transforming Tihar?
Ans. Prisons back then, were considered to be a place for lodging as punishment! So, no one expected anything to change there. However, my approach to crime has always been striving for prevention before crime detection. I believe that one must prevent a problem, and if at all the problem occurs, deal with it in a way, so that it does not reoccur. Every time a criminal was arrested, I would go about asking and introspecting, where did we fail as keepers of law, and strived to plug those holes.
I strongly believe that crime prevention begins with education. So, I began a schooling system for the inmates of Tihar jail with resources that were available locally. Although initially I did not have the material for facilitating a proper teaching-learning system, yet, it did not stop me from starting with whatever little I had at hand. The shade of trees became my classrooms and some educated inmates became guides for the rest. The carpentry unit was assigned the job of making blackboards and people/schools donated books, stationery and bags. Donations came in abundance. So, although the beginning was humble, the transformation it brought about was humongous.
Again, I had the power to frame policies – so, education, yoga, spirituality for ALL were set as strong policies. The key to the successes which followed was that these policy changes were applicable to ALL inmates.
Ques. Any advice for aspiring female officers?
Ans. Before advising young girls, we need to change the mindset of parents – that’s where the real change begins. Parents must not hold back girl children and be progressive enough to let them choose their profession – and if some of them wish to become cops – so be it!
Ques. You have all along been a crusader against systemic corruption. What more can be done to do away with systemic corruption?
Ans. It begins with the leader. The leader should be a person of integrity, winning the trust of people and encouraging others to follow suit. He/she should spend public money consciously and transparently. This done, mobility will add to the leader’s actions becoming more transparent and accountable. Additionally, the manner in which we deal with crimes will also speak volumes about an honest leader. I believe, where there is criminal-corruption it should be punished, but if is an honest mistake then giving the criminal a chance to change is important. All of this in place will guarantee a corruption free system.
Ques. As a nation, we have taken rapid strides in giving women more leadership opportunities, but there is still a huge gap that exists. How can we inspire more women to take up leadership roles?
Ans. I think here, technology can become our saviour. Use technology and be gender-blind in recruitment. This will ensure a fair recruitment process without giving extra weightage to any gender. Also, while both, men and women in combination can bring about huge successes to organizations, we must always remember what women bring extra to the table!
Avtar Madan
Poonam Sinha
Ruby Sinha
