A phenomenon called Kiran Bedi
Reeta Sharma

WHAT is it that makes a majority of men of Kiran Bedi’s generation feel insecure about her? It is strange that men who are not even remotely associated with her professionally or personally heap either contempt or ridicule on her actions or are at pains to demolish her image through verbal gymnastics. I have often wondered what makes these otherwise well-meaning, educated and intelligent men feel so anxious and diffident at the very mention of Kiran Bedi’s name.

On the contrary, men belonging to an older generation are full of admiration for her and young men are simply in awe of her.Why is it that most men of her age group cannot accept that she deserves the appreciation which she has earned over the years? Displaying utter disregard for objectivity, all her achievements are often negated by this particular group. Is it because these men subconsciously concede that they cannot match her professional competence, firm decision-making, commitment to ideals and ideas?

I personally think Kiran Bedi is a phenomenon, a thorough professional to reckon with, and a source of inspiration.She has certainly acquired the image of a fighter-woman of our times. Kiran successfully fought the mindset of a patriarchal society used to subjugating women. Generally speaking, the present generation of men has begun accepting women as their colleagues. But the moment a woman excels and turns out to be more capable professionally or in any other capacity, most men panic and fear that their citadel is being challenged.

Kiran is a victim of this fear that many men face. Leaving aside a few men of her generation who dispassionately and objectively rate her superior than them, others have often accused Kiran of being publicity-hungry. Since I represent the media, I can only say that this is a very feeble charge. The media needs her more than she needs the media.

Do you think that media could ignore her when she sent ripples in women’s tennis world much before she joined the police force? To reach the top in national tennis was no small achievement and could not have been overlooked by the media. Then to achieve the distinction of being the first woman to enter the Indian police, especially in a male-dominated society like ours, was again an accomplishment which compelled the media to reach out to her.

At a certain age, almost everyone is driven to reach the sky. Many succeed. But once we achieve something, most of us become lax or stop growing or tend to become complacent and wallow in passivity. Certainly, Kiran Bedi did not let any of this happen to her.

Today the nation faces the mafia-politician-bureaucrat nexus. The Indian police in particular is riddled with corruption, deserving its dubious reputation. Against this backdrop, even the most "chronic" critics of Kiran Bedi admit that she is a very honest officer. Her integrity has never been questioned. In the present times, this is an extraordinary image for any police officer to have built. The media which has been consistently exposing corrupt practices cannot afford to ignore the high moral standard of Kiran.So how can she be blamed for being in the news?

On the contrary, I feel that the media in Chandigarh was rather unfair to her in carrying a series of views by the public much before she took over as Inspector-General of Police. Expectations of her soared beyond a reasonable and logical level.She has to work within a system which cannot be stretched beyond a certain point. Yes, of course one person can make a difference but only in decision-making, policy-making, and to some extent in implementation. But there are wheels within wheels, which have to be regularly oiled and pushed along.At times, they can prevent you from moving ahead.

I am amused at the reaction of parents of children (below 18) who have already begun cribbing at Kiran Bedi’s drive to check minors from driving vehicles. The arguments advanced are: the children are good at driving, they have to attend various tuitions in different sectors, it is inconvenient for the parents to drop and pick up the children from various points. They also moan that Kiran should have given them "sufficient time" to make alternate arrangements.

But how could have Kiran Bedi given permission to indulge in an illegal practice even for one minute, what to say of "sufficient time"? Can anyone worth his or her salt give time before banning an illegal practice? If children have to go for tuitions in different sectors, it is the responsibility of parents to organise the transport for the same within the law. One cannot be allowed an illegal short-cut. As for the argument that bureaucrats’ children come in official cars to attend tuitions, my answer is that one should fight this misuse of official cars. In Maharashtra, according to Mita Lochan (an IAS officer), "No officer can misuse an official car for personal purposes. People puncture the car tyres if they find any of us using it for anything other than official duty." If the people of Maharashtra can enforce discipline and force bureaucrats not to misuse official vehicles through protest, why can’t we?

How many bureaucrats perform their duties as public servants? The obvious answer is very few. Out of these few, how many reach out to the public? Now the answer is very few. Kiran Bedi is certainly one of these rare officers. Till she got posted as IG, Tihar Jail, in New Delhi, the officer circles always looked at this post as a punishment posting. I don’t know whether she too was posted there as some kind of punishment, but I know it for a fact that she changed the Tihar Jail from a dreaded place to a reformation centre. She inspired prisoners to do ‘meditation’ by practising the same herself along with them. This certainly was beyond the call of duty.She could have just ordered "meditation". But by joining them, she successfully inspired the prisoners and motivated them to seriously follow the meditation schedule.

Far beyond her official duties, she became the moving spirit behind an NGO, "India Vision."

Besides, Kiran actively roped in committed NGOs in Delhi to work among the prisoners. The human touch of outsiders revived the humane side of even the most hardened prisoners. How many bureaucrats are willing to invest time and attention beyond the official nine-to-five duty in any of their postings? This dedication is what makes her different as also vulnerable to unwarranted criticism.

Kiran Bedi, it appears, learnt pretty early in her career to cross all such obstacles in her way. In an interview, she had given her mother the credit for all her successes — from tennis days to present-day police duty.

Talking about her daring spirit, I am reminded of one of her photographs which made waves in the media, and which has been repeatedly used. The photograph shows a Nihang with a full-sized naked sword ready to attack and Kiran Bedi charging at him with a full swing of her lathi. The photograph shows the courage and daring of a woman officer.

"I think Kiran Bedi has carved a niche for herself not because she was awarded the Magsaysay Award, and not because she was the first woman IPS officer of India but because she is a person who is full of conviction, has an acute sense of duty, judiciousness and tonnes of energy to fulfil her commitment. Any wonder then that lakhs of women in India want to be like Kiran Bedi. If somebody can be such a source of inspiration, the person has to be admired and not criticised on flimsy grounds. Nevertheless she is a human being who has to face limitations and constraints of infrastructure. That she always finds a way out is what makes her Kiran Bedi — a phenomenon.

This feature was published on May 1, 1999