Social activist she is now, but just her presence still makes one want to snap a salute to Dr Kiran Bedi, who was in Mumbai to unveil a flashlight with a safety alarm. This is a torch made with an eye on the safety and security of women and other vulnerable people. The Eveready siren torch, dazzling bright during the demonstration launch, has a siren which will wail when put on by the person carrying it and is an immediate attention getter. The noise resonated through the venue when Bedi pressed a button on the flashlight, as it was formally launched at an Andheri East hotel on Tuesday.

The one strong message behind the device is: break or shatter the silence, and hence the siren. When in distress, danger or during any emergency in fact, the compact torch can be put on by the person who must carry it in an accessible easy to reach place, like hanging it on your bag, so that one does not have to look for it feverishly in an emergency. The flashlight emits a 100-decibel loud alarm while flashing, when its attached key chain is pulled. This draws the attention of passers-by. It is meant to act as both deterrent for would be danger and a shrill, easy to hear cry for help.