INDIA
Nirmala Deshpande, one of India's last Gandhians whose life was devoted to the cause of the poor and downtrodden, died in her sleep.
NEW DELHI: Nirmala Deshpande, one of India's last Gandhians whose life was devoted to the cause of the poor and downtrodden, died in her sleep in New Delhi on Thursday morning. She was 79.
"She fought for the cause of peace throughout her life and in death we found her with her hands folded," said her former private secretary Peter Parekapetil.
"She had not visited the hospital in the recent past and did not complain of any ailments except for joint pains. She died peacefully in her sleep in the wee hours of Thursday," Parekapetil said.
Deshpande, who was a Rajya Sabha MP, in fact had kept a busy schedule in her last few days. She was in Bihar last week to meet up with fellow Gandhians and returned early this week. Deshpande, who was popularly known as Didi, went to parliament a day earlier and interacted with fellow parliamentarians and friends.
"She had an early dinner and retired to bed. At 4 a.m. her personal attendant checked on her and she was still alive. An hour later, we found that she had breathed her last," said Parekapetil.
As news of her death came in, long term associates, fellow Gandhians and MPs queued up to pay homage at her Shahjahan Road residence. Her body will be kept in a casket till Friday for the public to pay obeisance.
"She will be cremated at the Lodi Road crematorium Friday morning. And according to what she stood for, all religious prayers will be chanted," said a close associate.
The diminutive Deshpande, a familiar figure who accompanied visiting presidents, prime ministers and other dignitaries at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Raj Ghat, started her career as a lecturer in political science at Nagpur's Morris College.
She was born in Nagpur on Oct 17, 1929 to Vimlabai and P.Y. Deshpande, who was also a MP.
President Pratibha Patil, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh mourned the death of the veteran Gandhian. The prime minister called her a leader of the people who led by example.
In a lengthy condolence message, Prime Minister Singh said: "Nirmalaji was a living Gandhian. She dedicated her life to the cause of the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalized in our society, as a true Gandhian.
"She was deeply committed to creating a good society based on Gandhian values of simplicity, decency and honesty. She was a leader of the people and she led by example."
Deshpande, who joined Acharya Vinoba Bhave's 'bhoodan' movement in 1952 and undertook a 40,000 km walk with him, had been nominated twice to the Rajya Sabha -- in 1997 and in 2004. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra launch soon in India: Check expected price, features, and more
Bad news for Amazon, Flipkart as Blinkit launches new services for...
Pakistan pollution: Lockdown in Lahore, Multan as AQI crosses 2000 mark, health emergency in Punjab
Elon Musk’s wore ‘Omega’ necklace to UFC event sparks online debate, know what it means
Amid Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai divorce rumours, both avoid daughter Aaradhya Bachchan's...
Meet Indian-origin CEO who is receiving death threats due to this reason
Cheteshwar Pujara returns to Border-Gavaskar Trophy in THIS new role
Astronomers find largest water reservoir ever, 140 trillion times Earth's total...
Punjab: Samyukta Kisan Morcha, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announce march towards Delhi on...
IndiGo pilot's cute surprise for wife on flight will make your day, watch viral video
Kanguva: Disha Patani 'was there to look pretty' says producer's wife, angry netizens bash her
Apple iPhone 15 gets massive price cut on Amazon, here's how you can grab this deal
Amazon India's BIG decision, set to move headquarters to this place, will impact…
Day after quitting AAP, Kailash Gahlot joins BJP
Coolie lifts passengers, helps them board train coach through window, video goes viral, watch
Pushpa 2 trailer: SS Rajamouli reviews Allu Arjun's action-drama, calls it...
This is world's longest-running experiment, started nearly 100 years ago, could go on for...
Tata's BIG move, to buy stake in this Apple partner amid reports of new iPhone unit in Tamil Nadu
Brazil welcomes PM Modi with vedic chants and traditional festivities ahead of G20 summit
THIS beggar hosted grand feast for over 20,000 people, spent Rs..., here's why
'Ab Tiger bhi Animal Banega': Tiger Shroff's Baaghi 4 first look triggers internet
Meet man, who made first mobile call in India from Nokia 29 years ago, it cost Rs...
Viral: US-based CEO terminates 99 of 111 employees over Slack message, reason will leave you shocked
Vande Bharat sleeper train vs Rajdhani Express, which is better? Here's all you need know
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 18, 2024 Live Updates: Check lucky winning numbers
Bank Holiday Today: All banks to remain closed today in this state due to...
THIS AI granny talks to scammers and wastes their time, here's how it works
West Bengal Violence: 15 held, internet shut down after clashes between two groups in Murshidabad
Brahmastra actor Saurav Gurjar SLAMS Kapil Sharma after he 'jokes on his personality': 'I didn't...'
Mukesh Ambani's MEGA offer after Jio-Disney merger, Jiostar plans starting at just Rs...
Indigo, SpiceJet issue advisory for passengers as toxic smog engulfs Delhi
Vivek Ramaswamy has THIS plan to tackle US job crisis under Trump 2.0, says...
Meet woman who couldn't become doctor due to tragedy, later cracked UPSC in first attempt, she is...
SC to hear today pleas seeking curbs to tackle air pollution as GRAP 4 imposed in Delhi
Ganadhipa Sankashti Chaturthi 2024: Date, shubh muhurat, rituals, significance and more
Viral video: Little girl wins hearts with adorable dance to 'Tere Bina Na Guzara AE', watch
Meet man who left home with only Rs 50, later built company worth Rs 17000 crore, his business is…
World’s most expensive watch costs Rs 465 crore, it is made by…
AUS vs PAK Live Streaming: When and where to watch Australia vs Pakistan 3rd T20I live in India?
Which players will Mumbai Indians target in IPL 2025 mega auction?
No road tax, registration fees on electric vehicles in THIS Indian state till...
PCB set to sack Jason Gillespie; 52-year-old former Pakistan cricketer to assume role as head coach
After Imsha Rehman, Minahil Malik, THIS Indonesian celeb’s private video leaked online
GRAP 4 imposed in Delhi from November 18: What's open, what's closed
'Need a full album': Man's hilarious mimicry singing of celebrities goes viral, watch video
'Tohar Lalla Badshah': A collaboration between Badshah and Manoj Tiwari you didn't see coming
Hrithik Roshan’s sister Sunaina’s weight loss journey: Here’s how she lost over 50 kg in 12 months
WI vs ENG Live Streaming: When and where to watch West Indies vs England 5th T20I live in India?
'I always believe...': Sudha Murty praises son-in-law Rishi Sunak's 'good Indian cultural values'
Allu Arjun impresses with his Hindi at Pushpa 2 trailer launch event in Patna, watch viral video
Matt Gaetz: From F-35 Fighter Jets to Attorney General Nomination Amid Sex Scandal Allegations
'I'm scared of him': Muhammad Ali's old video praising Mike Tyson goes viral, WATCH here
How 'Banana for Scale' meme found its way to Elon Musk's SpaceX starship rocket
Zomato delivery agent riding bike with her child melts hearts online, watch viral video
Man who mistakenly declared dead walks into his own prayer meet; here's what happened
VIRAL: In terrifying video, Leopard sneaks into house attacks pet dog in Mount Abu, check here
BCCI gives massive update on KL Rahul's availability for 1st Test vs Australia in Perth
Baba Siddique murder: Mumbai crime branch makes 25th arrest of Gujarati man from...
IPL 2025 auction: Full list of players with Rs 2 crore base price
India break Pakistan's massive T20I world record, become first team in world to...