In Gandhi's footsteps. Kiran Bedi
Description
Kiran Bedi, a small woman with a huge mission, has been compared to Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi. She is, in fact, a police woman-- and a reformer. Kiran Bedi has worked in the most dangerous and violent parts of Indian society and has found non-violent solutions. She believes that police should help prevent social problems, not wait until the problems worsen.Tens of thousands of police officers, formerly feared for their violence, have been turned into "welfare police" as a result of her ground- breaking training while in charge of the police school in New Delhi. Bedi also transformed one of the largest prisons in the world, Tihar Central Jail, from a hell hole to a reformatory. Among her innovations was meditation sessions for the prisoners which helped calm the violence in the jail. She has also initiated treatment for drug addicts and opened vocational trade schools for the slum dwelling poor. She studied law and police education and became India s first female police officer. She became well-known when she had Indira Gandhi s illegally parked car towed, believing the powerful as well as the powerless should respect the law. This led her to be officially "punished" by receiving undesirable transfers. She recovered from this and eventually became India s Deputy Police Commissioner. Recently she was appointed to lead the U.N. s Department of Peacekeeping Operations worldwide. This film provides a fascinating window into India today.
Runtime
49 min
Creator
Rakkenes, Oystein F
Subjects
Contributor
Geography
Genre
Date of Publication
2007
Database
Alexander Street
Direct Link
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