Hell of a woman !!

Well, I'd recently been to a talk by Kiran Bedi @ the (LT) Lecture Theatre which was the last in the series of Leadership talk series organised at IITB.

Mrs Bedi arrived in a white crisp chikan kurta with a sleevless coat. U cud sense the audience waiting with an air of anticipation. Females 'd turned up in equal nos as the males (a sort of rarity for any event in IIT).

Post introductory talks (by School of Management students), Mrs Bedi took the stage n started off with her characteristic gusto. She talked about her childhood, about her family n her upbringing, talking at lengths about how her parents influenced her in becoming the person she is today. Seems Mrs Bedi's mother was a good at academics n her father was a good Lawn Tennis player both of which she managed to balance successfully.

She talked about how we can influence our destinies n how being a well rounded personality (termed it as the 360 degree development) is essential for a successfull living.She herself has donned many hats with aplomb (police officer, writer, sportsperson, social activist, mother, role model for the society etc).She talked abt various interesting incidents during her tenure in the IPS, the way she wud often be at loggerheads with ppl in power .Through all these incidents Mrs Bedi came across as a frank n forthright, motivated, humble person with firm belief in her convictions. Her talk was interspersed with nice punjabi slang which made for interesting listening.

The end of the talk saw the audience ask her many qs related to her books as well as her humanitarian roles.