Kiran Bedi returns to her alma mater to release Punjabi translation of book Fearless Governance
Getting things done right is what Kiran Bedi believes in. Taking an action-oriented approach, in service and in life, Bedi has been among the movers and shakers of governance. One such recent example is her successful action plan to turn draught-ridden Puducherry into a water-rich city. Serving five years as the Lt Governor of Puducherry, the former IPS (retd) now wants to share lessons she learnt during the process with the world through her bookFearless Governance. Bedi, along with Arvind Chhabra, released the Punjabi translation of her book at an event at Saroop Rani College for Women on Saturday.
Fearless Governance has been translated into Hindi, French and other languages and shares pointers through real life experiences by Bedi on good governance and effective, people friendly administrative practices.
Sharing her excitement over coming to Amritsar and releasing her book in Punjabi, a language she has held close to her heart, Bedi said that it was destiny. “I was invited for a lecture on my book from Amritsar and I was thankful for it, but it could not materialise. So, today we created our own event,” she said in a light-hearted confession.
Talking about her book, she said it was a team work. “Pondicherry has changed much and it’s a place with so much history. There is also a history of its administration and governance. So, I wanted to document it through a book on how the governance was turned into a people’s governance. It’s not a utopian concept, but requires conviction and consistency,” she said.
In the book, Kiran details her teams’ action plan to replenish canals and natural water bodies, get corporates to contribute in cleaning water bodies, ponds and engage citizens in cleaning and water harvesting, effectively brought about the transformation. “If it can be done in one place, it can be done in several others. All it requires is effective resource management, policy implementation and on-ground mobilisation. We made it into a people’s movement,” she said.
She interacted with students, asking them to adopt a healthy lifestyle, though process to create future for themselves. “I am the result of my habits. You need to understand that inculcating good habits from childhood help shape our future. Habit of eating healthy food, healthy value system, fitness of body and mind adds to our overall growth and
personality.”
