Kiran Bedi ... whom millions have grown idolizing was there amongst us in flesh and blood .. thanks to the hardwork and persistence of the Ribandar Talks committee .. Mrs Bedi herself appreciated the persistence showed by the committee in bringing her down here ..
It was such a pleasure to listen to her... and the one thing that struck me the moment she started her talk was the vibrant youthfulness in her ..despite being in her fifties , she had a childlike enthusiasm and go getting spirit in her .. which is so much in short supply these days ...
I who isnt that good a listener .. especially at public speeches was sitting at the edge of my chair , listening to each and every word that she was saying , her mannerisms , her enthusiasm ..
Frankly speaking I have never ever seen a spirited lady like her before .. And I bet those who were sitting next to me hadnt also .
She had very interesting anecdotes ... one of them was regarding the famous Zuari bridge.Earlier when there was no bridge people used to cross the river zuari using ferries , her black ambassador was a regular on that ferry . There used to be heavy traffic jams , and for the alleviation of that the zuari bridge was constructed.
Actually the bridge over the river which was constructed in the year 1983, was to be inaugurated by Mrs. Indira Gandhi. However, it so happened that Mrs. Gandhi could not turn up on two occasions and the bridge could not be thrown open to the public . On the third instance, Mrs. Kiran Bedi who was then the SP Traffic of Goa at the time couldnt take this official apathy any longer , she thought why should the peopel whom we are meant to serve suffer . hence Mrs. Kiran Bedi herself removed the boulders blocking the bridge with the help of her driver and then shouting out Aa jao aa jao with she herself leading the way from one side of the bridge and then reaching half way through the bridge she called out to the traffic waiting on the other side to also cross over calling out . Aaage badho !! . Daro mat aage badho !! and slowly the traffic from both sides crossed the Zuari river bridge for the first time and so it was ultimately Mrs. Kiran Bedi herself who inaugurated the Zuari bridge which incidentally was supposed to be called the Gandhi bridge had she turned up for the inauguration.
The next day there obviously was a big furor raised by the authorities about the bridge being opened without the presence of Mrs. Gandhi and Mrs. Kiran Bedi was ready to face all of it. The incident narrated by her infact sums up her character which represents guts and not fearing to take the decision at the right time without fearing consequences.
According to her, we as individuals have already been formed with our likes/dislikes, values, relations, friends, eating habits etc. and hence at a management institute we need to be train ourselves continuously for facing the future. Infact, a management institute which is a knowledge centre needs to be transformed into a training centre, which in itself is a herculean task. Also she said that she always has sought to assert rights and this is only a way of seeking justice.
She also played a video relating to a BBC HardTalk Interview of hers with the famous Tim Sebastian she had in the year 1999 which infact was being played for the first time in front of an audience! As she spoke about the interview, she stated that the preparation for an interview is not of a day or two, rather it is a preparation of an entire life and hence we need to act now. She also stressed on the importance of planning ones career, self-introspection and always being aware of where one is headed towards, stating that every aspect including the pros and cons of a particular lifestyle as well the choice of ones marriage partner are also important factors !!
Infact she called upon the audience comprising of management graduates of Goa Institute of Management to make a focused effort to achieve a work-life balance in their careers giving enough time to spend with their family. Stressing on the importance of constantly updating and upgrading oneself, she said that we need to continually train ourselves professionally and personally. Professional training is one that can be acquired through books and through management institutes, however personal growth is something that cannot be acquired collectively in an institute but it is through self-introspection and is possible only individually by on ones own efforts.
Finally, she says that we are what are because of the influence of the books that we read, the company that we keep, the people who support us through our life and hence it is important to chose whom we make our friends, our associations, our life partner etc. as these are the people who impact our lives the most and shape our personality.
Credits to The ribandar talks core committee