Nirmala Deshpande
Miss Nirmala Deshpande a noted Gandhian and social activist is presently a nominated Member of the Parliament of India in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament
Father's Name : Late Shri P.Y. Deshpande
Mother's Name : Late Shrimati Vimalabai Deshpande
Place of Birth : Nagpur (Maharashtra)
Marital Status : Unmarried
Children : –
Educational Qualifications : M.A., Conferred honorary doctorate by three Indian Universities Educated at University of Nagpur, Nagpur
Profession : ,Social Worker, Writer.
Permanent Address :
Present Address : AB-98, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi 110003
Tel. – 23782683, 23782646, Fax 23782781, 9868181093(M)
E-mail : nirmala@sansad.nic.in
Positions Held :
Aug. 1997 Nominated to Rajya Sabha June 2004 Nominated to Rajya Sabha Aug. 2004 onwards Member, Committee on Empowerment of Women Member, Committee on Rural Development Member, Rajghat Samadhi Committee Oct. 2004 onwards Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Feb. 2006 onwards Member, Parliamentary Forum on Children
Freedom Fighter : No
Books Published :
Vinobake Sath (Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Gujarati editions), Kranti Ki Rah Par (Hindi and Marathi editions), Chingling (Hindi, Marathi, English and Telugu editions), Seemant (Marathi), Vinoba (Marathi, Hindi, English and Gujarati editions), Sewagram te Sewagram (Marathi), Bhagnamurti (Hindi); has written novels, plays, travelogues and commentary on Isha Upanishad; Editor, Nityanutan (a fortnightly), in Hindi published from New Delhi, and in some other Indian languages; was Editor, Maitri, a journal on service and spirituality, published from Paunar Ashram founded by Acharya Vinoba Bhave
Social and Cultural Activities, Literary, Artistic and Scientific Accomplishments and other Special Interests :
Sports, Clubs, Favourite Pastimes and Recreation :
Countries Visited :
Soviet Union (thrice) in delegation of 'Friends of Soviet Union' and Gandhian delegation; Pakistan (eight times) in Peace delegations; Brazil; as delegate to 'Global Assembly of United Religions Initiative', 2002; China as leader of the delegation of 'Association of Peoples of Asia'; Indonesia to unveil the first statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Ashram in Denpasar, Bali; Germany, U.S.A., U.K., Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Japan, Taiwan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in connection with the propagation of Gandhian thought; Switzerland and Canada
Other Information :
Joined Acharya Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan Yatra in 1952 and walked more than 40,000 kms. in India during the Bhoodan Movement, propagating the ideology of non-violent revolution; was lecturer of Political Science, Morris College, Nagpur; awarded, (i) 'Padma Vibhushan', and (ii) 14th Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Puraskar, 2005; National President, Akhil Bharat Rachnatmak Samaj (A.B.R.S.) which has thousands of dedicated social activists committed to peace and non-violence, working in all the States of India; under her leadership, the A.B.R.S. has organized inter-faith prayers, meets and conferences in various parts of India; has been working continuously to build bridges of understanding between different communities, especially between Hindus and Muslims; Akhil Bharat Rachnatamak Samaj was awarded National Communal Harmony Award, 2004 by the President of India; Founder Chairperson, Women's Initative for Peace in South Asia; organised, peace marches in the militancy-ridden States of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir and worked continuously for maintaining peace and communal harmony; formed, (i) Sanjhi Virasat, a forum of writers and artists to uphold India's tradition of composite culture and pluralism and (ii) Adhyatma Jagaran Manch, with Swami Agnivesh and Rev. Valsan Thampu, to spread the philosophy of spiritual and ethical values and counter the misuse of religion and (iii) Peoples' Integration Council, to mobilize all sections of the society for national integration and communal harmony; led, a Satyagraha on Indo-Tibet border, 1997; organised and participated in conferences, seminars and marches for the cause of Tibet and to support the non-violent movement for democracy in Myanmar; President, (i) Indo-Pak Soldiers' Inititiative for Peace (I.P.S.I.), both of India and Pakistan, (ii) Rashtriya Seva Samithi (R.A.S.S.), Tirupati, (iii) Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal (H.M.V.P.), Amravati (Maharashtra), the oldest organization of physical education and sports which has trained over fifty thousand youths of all the States of India and (iv) Vinoba Janamsthan Pratishthan Trust; National President, Harijan Sevak Sangh (H.S.S.); Chairperson, (i) Association of Peoples of Asia (A.P.A.) (ii) India-Pakistan Forum of Parliamentarians and (iii) Bapu Sadbhavana and Shiksha Trust; Member, (i) National Integration Council and (ii) Central Advisory Board of Education; Bureau Member,South Asians for Human Rights