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New Delhi: Nirmala Deshpande, whose life was devoted to the cause of the poor and downtrodden and the propagation of Gandhian values, died in her sleep here last 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 pain in the joints. She died peacefully in her sleep," Parekapetil said.
Deshpande, who was a member of the Rajya Sabha, had kept a busy schedule till the very end. She had been to Bihar last week to meet up with fellow Gandhians and only returned early this week. Deshpande, who was popularly known as "Didi," had also visited parliament a day earlier and interacted with fellow parliamentarians and friends.
Ordinary folk and public figures queued up to pay homage at the Shahjahan Road residence of Deshpande as news of her demise spread and her body was kept for people to pay their last respects.
Cremation today
"She will be cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium on Friday morning and, in keeping with what she stood for, all religious prayers will be chanted," said a close associate.
Deshpande, who would accompany visiting presidents, prime ministers and other dignitaries at Raj Ghat, started her career as a lecturer in political science at Nagpur's Morris College.
She was born in Nagpur on October 17, 1929 to Vimlabai and P.Y. Deshpande, who was also an MP.
President Pratibha Patil, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh mourned Deshpande's death.
In a lengthy condolence message, Singh said: "Nirmalaji was a living Gandhian. She dedicated her life to the cause of the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalised 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.
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