July 4, 2008

For the first Club meeting on July 4th in the new Rotary year, we were privileged to have Dr Kiran Bedi as the guest speaker. Winner of numerous awards, including the prestigious Ramon Magsasay award in 1994,  Kiran Bedi, the no  nonsense police officer has come a long way. She has been a path breaker in prison reforms, community policing, crime prevention on strategies, drug abuse treatment, spirituality in police training and schooling of street children.

If this has not shocked you enough, there is more to come. Kiran Bedi set up her first NGO  Navjyoti - in 1986 for working in the field of drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation. Navjyoti has till now treated over 12,000 drug addicts. It is on special consultative status with Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The program, run by a team of dedicated professionals and volunteers, has recently received the United Nations Serge Sotiroff Memorial award in 1999, chosen from over a hundred worldwide nominations. Navjyoti is a pioneer in India in its holistic treatment module.

Soon after being honoured with the Ramon Magsasay award in 1994, Kiran Bedi set up her second NGO - India Vision Foundation  - to work in the field of prison reforms, crime prevention, education, rural development. A great deal of work has been accomplished in the field of children's education through its projects. Children of prisoners are educated under the 'Crime Home Children' project and children in slums who are otherwise beggars, rag pickers, gamblers and drug peddlers have schools at their doorsteps in the 'Gali School' project.
Dr Kiran Bedi has written several books besides being the subject of reputed authors herself. One such work is titled Kiran Bedi -  The Kindly Baton. We couldn't agree more !