
Nirmala Deshpande
Born: 19 October 1929
Died: 1 May 2008
- She was a noted Indian social activist who had embraced Gandhian philosophy.
- She devoted her adult life to the promotion of communal harmony and service to women, tribal people, and the dispossessed in India.
- She was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of India in 2006 and was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz posthumously by Pakistan in 2010.
- She joined Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan movement in 1952.
- She undertook a 40,000-km journey on foot –padayatra—across India to carry Gandhi’s message of Grām Swarāj.
- She recognized that it was difficult to practice Gandhian principles, yet believed that doing so was the only way towards a truly democratic society.
- She was known to be the spirit behind peace marches in Punjab and Kashmir when violence was at its peak in those states.
- Her peace mission to Kashmir in 1994 and her initiative in organizing India-Pakistan meet in 1996 were her two major public service achievements.
- The Tibetan cause against Chinese suppression was also close to her heart.
- She continually worked for harmony between India and Pakistan.
- Even her mortal remains were immersed in the Indus river of Sindh province in Pakistan.
Click here for more details
(Visited 104 times, 1 visits today)
October 19, 2019
104
No Comments