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Obituary: Eminent Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande passes way
Monday, 5 May 2008, 3:42 p.m.
(From left to right) MP Lama Lobsang, Kalon Tripa, Nirmala Desh Pandey and Kalon Thubten Lungrig. Mrs Pandey addressing civil servant of Central Tibetan Administration on 9 July 2007 in Dharamshala, Gangkyi staff Mess hall.(File photo)
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Dharamshala: Noted Gandhian and Rajya Sabha member Nirmala Deshpande breathed her last at the age of 79 on Thursday, 1 May.
Dolma Gyari, the deputy speaker of the Tibetan Parlaiment in-Exile (TPiE) along with some members of the TPiE attended the funeral on Friday, 2 May at Lodhi road. They met with the members of the Congress party, including Rahul Gandhi, Shiela Dixit, chief minister of Delhi and some Indian politicians present at the funeral.
Nirmala Deshpande had devoted more than 60 years of her life towards promoting communal harmony and serving women, tribal and the dispossessed.
Born on October 17, 1929 in Nagpur, she joined Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan Movement in 1952 and undertook padyatras across the country to carry Mahatma Gandhi's message of Gram Swaraj.
She firmly believed that although it was difficult to practice Gandhian principles, it was the only way towards a truly democratic society.
Deshpande received the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006.
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