Leadership | From Kartavya Path to Cricket World Cup | Hindustan Times – Hindustan Times

Subscribe Now! Get features like
There are moments in a nation’s story that do more than inspire — they redefine what is possible. India’s women winning the World Cup is one such transformative moment. This is not merely a triumph on the field; it marks a turning point in how India will see its daughters — as strong, self-reliant, and capable of leading the nation’s destiny.
This victory carries a personal echo for me. My own journey began on the sports field long before I joined the Indian Police Service. At sixteen, I became the National Junior Tennis Champion, and in 1972, I was privileged to win the Asian Lawn Tennis Championship. Those years taught me lessons that no classroom ever could — discipline, focus, courage, and resilience.
Every match trained not only my body but also my mind — to handle pressure, face defeat with dignity, and win with humility. These lessons became the foundation of my confidence when I entered the IPS, at a time when none had done so before me.
1975: A march of change
That training culminated in another watershed moment — January 26, 1975, when I had the honour of leading the Delhi Police’s all-male contingent on the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath, now Kartavya Path. It was also the International Women’s Year, and as I marched past the saluting base, I felt the energy of history in motion.
For the first time, the nation saw a woman officer leading the parade. The moment went far beyond symbolism — it touched hearts and changed mindsets. I received letters from families across India saying, “My daughter watched the parade and wants to be like you.”
That was the real victory — the quiet revolution of belief that began in countless homes.
Looking back, I realise that everything I achieved in uniform was made easier and possible because of what I learned as a tennis player. . Sports build mental tenacity, emotional balance, and physical confidence — qualities that shape strength and self-assurance.
Every time a girl competes, she learns to overcome fear, rely on herself, and stand tall in the face of challenge. This is the unseen power of sports: it doesn’t just build champions — it builds character.
A girl who knows her own power feels safe in her own skin. She walks with confidence, speaks with assurance, and carries herself with quiet authority. This inner security — born of discipline and self-mastery — is one of the greatest gifts sports can offer.
From permission to encouragement
Today, as our women lift the World Cup, we stand at another turning point. Parents across India will no longer ask “Should we allow her?” but “How can we help her succeed?”
That shift — from permission to encouragement — will change the trajectory of countless lives.
The New Education Policy has rightly integrated sports into the heart of education. Schools and colleges must become nurseries of equality and confidence, giving girls equal access to facilities, coaching, and competition.
Sports in education are not a luxury. They are essential training for leadership, safety, and self-assurance. A girl who learns to run, swim, or compete learns to trust herself — and in that trust lies freedom.
For too long, women’s success was defined narrowly — by academic results or domestic roles. Sports expand that definition to include grit, teamwork, and composure under pressure.
A girl who learns to focus through fatigue, stay calm in a tense match, lose with grace and rise again — she is learning the very essence of success. These are the same qualities that make great officers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
Just as the 1975 parade showed India that women could lead with authority, the World Cup victory shows that women can lead the nation to glory on the global stage.
These two moments — fifty years apart — are connected by a shared message: confidence is contagious. When one woman steps forward, she opens the way for millions more.
The spirit of self-reliance
The World Cup triumph by India’s women is far more than a sporting milestone. It reaffirms what I learned as a young sports girl — that discipline creates freedom, self-reliance creates security, and confidence creates leaders.
When I stood on Rajpath ( now Kartavya Path) in 1975, I carried the lessons of sport that gave me the courage to lead. Today, India’s women — in badminton, table tennis, archery, wrestling, chess, hockey, shooting, athletics and many more — carry those same lessons onto the world stage, showing every girl what is possible when she believes in herself.
From the tennis courts of my youth, to the parade ground of then Rajpath, to the World Cup arena, the journey tells one unbroken story:
That India’s daughters are not just participants in the nation’s progress — they are its pace-setters. Their power comes not from permission, but from preparation and support — from parents, coaches, and institutions, as exemplified by the BCCI.( The Cricket Control Board of India )
When women play, compete, lead, and win — they don’t just bring home trophies. They bring home a new confidence, a new security, and a new India. Also Viksit Bharat.
For a healthy and prosperous nation, if we ensure more and more girls play they will not only take care of their own security — and that of others too.
Besides bringing glory to the nation.
kiranbediofficial@gmail.com
(The writer, India’s first female IPS officer, is former lieutenant governor of Puducherry)

source