06 June,2015 10:00 AM IST | | A correspondent
Did you know former IPS officer Kiran Bedi is a tennis champion? As former IPS officer Kiran Bedi celebrates her birthday today, we list you 12 interesting facts you may not have known about the iron lady
Did you know former IPS officer Kiran Bedi is a tennis champion? As former IPS officer Kiran Bedi celebrates her birthday today, we list you 12 interesting facts you may not have known about the iron lady.
>> Kiran was born as Kiran Peshawaria into a wealthy family in Amritsar, to Parkash and Prem Peshawaria.
>> She has done PHD from IIT Delhi, Law from Delhi University, Masters in Political Science from Punjab University, Chandigarh and graduation with English Honours from Government College for Women Amritsar.
>> Kiran Bedi started her career as a Lecturer in Political Sciences in a college in Amritsar.
>> She has won Asian Lawn Tennis Championship held at Pune, Maharashtra in 1972, All India Interstate Women's Lawn Tennis Championship and many Zonal and State lawn tennis championships all over the country from 1965 to 1978.
>> Kiran, met her husband Brij Bedi on tennis courts of Amritsar. Brij, who was nine years older than her, played university-level tennis at the time. She has a daughter Saina.
>> She joined the IPS ( Indian Police Service) in 1972 and was the first woman in India to do so, thus becoming the first lady IPS officer of India.
>> She earned the nickname 'Crane Bedi' for extensive use of cranes to tow away wrongly parked cars, which did not spare even the car of former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.
>> Kiran Bedi worked as Inspector General Prisons of Tihar, with an inmate population of over 9700 in 1993. This was marked by pathbreaking prison reforms by introduction of literacy, computer skills, yoga, meditation, feedback boxes and NGOs.
>> She is the founder of two organisations - Navajyoti (1998) and India Vision Foundation (1994), these organizations work towards improvising the living conditions of drug addicts and women.
>> Her life story was depicted in a Telugu movie named 'Karthavyam' starring Vijaya Shanthi was one of the biggest hits of 80s in Andhra Pradesh.
>> She has authored more than 12 books out of which some are based on Tihar jail, India against corruption, leadership and governance etc.
>> Post retirement, Kiran anchored a TV show called Aap Ki Kacheri, a reality-justice show about real-life situations.
