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Dr. Nirmala Deshpande, Member of Parliament
(Rajya Sabha)


Nirmala Deshpande, popularly known as Didi, by her followers and admirers was born in Nagpur, Maharashtra on October 17, 1929. Her parents were late Shri P.Y.Deshpande and Shrimati Vimalabai Deshpande Her father himself was politically very active person and was the member of Parliament. He brought up Didi in an open and free environment. She was given the opportunity of going in for higher education and did   M.A. in Political Science  from Nagpur, India, She also studied Ferguson College, Pune. Initially, she served as lecturer in Political Science in Morris College, Nagpur.
 
She had a strong desire to serve the poor, deprived and down trodden. Thus she joined joined  Acharya Vinoba Bhave's ashram in Paunar. Later she joined the Bhoodan Movement in 1952 and undertook padyatras of forty thousand kilometers with Vinobaji She has also organised various Peace Marches in Punjab in 1983 and 1984, Peace Mission in Kashmir in 1994. `Sarva Dharm Samabhav Sammelan' in various parts of India and Indo-Pak Amity Meet in May 1996; working for the tribals and Scheduled Castes in the field of education, employment and empowerment; organised peace work (Shanti Sena) during communal riots and tensions; working for `Gram Swarajya' in all States of India.

Official Status:                       Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) (Nominated twice)
                                             First term  from 1997-1999
                                             Second term from 2004 onwards

Nirmala Deshpande has been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize, 2005

The activities of Nirmala Deshpande can be divided in two categories (1) Gandhian constructive work for building a new society, based on non-violence (2) Peace work in India and abroad.

1.            Joined Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan Yatra in India 1952 and walked more than 40,000 K.M. in India, for Bhoodan movement, propagating the ideology of Non-violent revolution, asking for land-gifts from those who have land for those who are landless agriculture labourers. More than four million acres of land was obtained through this movement, by millions of donors small and big, which was distributed among the landless poor in all states of India, major share was of Bihar. These allottees of land and other poor, marginalized sections were organized for their rights and Satyagraha movement carried on, under her leadership. There are some shining examples of success of Satyagraha which have helped in building further, the nonviolent movement in India. Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj, of which she is the founder President, has thousands of dedicated social activists, committed to peace and nonviolence, working in all states of India, under her leadership.

2.            Work for Peace  -- As Director of Peace Training Institute (Shantisena Vidyalaya) at Kasturbagram, Indore, she has been a pioneer in peace work and has to her credit many success stories of women and young girls, plunging in peace activity in any situation and establishing peace.

 In militancy-ridden Punjab in the decades of eighties, she organized huge Peace Marches, with thousands of peace activists for India who have helped the local people in keeping peace and communal harmony. These peace activists were spread in every nook and corner of Punjab and have set an example of courage, fearlessness by committed peace workers, who could gain the confidence of every section of the society. She would travel alone in a jeep all over the state taking great personal risk and people would say 'God is with you'.

In the difficult days of militancy in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, she organized peace work by enlisting a few outsiders and many local friends to work continuously for maintaining peace and communal harmony, making an appeal to those young men with guns to throw away the guns and adopt peaceful means. A large number of young men and women, belonging to all communities joined this movement and today one can find local friends in every corner of Jammu & Kashmir who are committed to Gandhi and Peace.

Communal conflicts and spread of communal poison has been a serious problem of India in last two decades. Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj, under her leadership has organized inter-faith prayers, meets, big conferences in various parts of India. The inter-faith conference at Chennai was inaugurated by H.H. Dalai Lama. Continuous work to build bridges of understanding between different communities especially between Hindu and Muslims is being carried. She played an active role with the same objective during the recent carnage in Gujarat, and was instrumental is saving many lives. She organized continuous protest marches in Delhi against Gujarat carnage, involving social activists and leaders of various opposition political parties. Her associates were the first to take a peace march in Orissa after the horrible murder of Christian missionary Graham Stanes.

After Gujarat, she along with some friends formed various forums to fight communalism and help forces of Secularism.

  1. Sanjhi Virasat  --  Forum of writes, artists, all members of creative community to uphold India's tradition of composite culture, pluralism.
  1. Adhyatma Jagaran Manch - with Swami Agnivesh and Rev. Valsan Thampu this forum was formed to spread the philosophy of spiritual and ethical values and counter the misuse of religion. 3. Peoples integration Council - to mobilize all sections of society for national integration and communal harmony.

Peace Work abroad - Through her organizations, Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj & Association of Peoples of Asia, she has established friendly relations with neighbors, specially with Pakistan. Organized 'Indo-Pak Amity Meet' in 1996,attended by academics, artists, social activists, journalists etc. from both the countries and led Indian delegation to Karachi, Pakistan in 1997 for a similar meet. In 1999 she again led Indian delegation to Pakistan Peace conference, organized by Pakistan Peace Coalition and visited many places. in 2000 March she led a women's bus of Peace from Delhi to Lahore [Pakistan], comprising of eminent women from every field of life, which proved to be a very big event. She also hosted the same year two buses of peace of women from Pakistan to Delhi, as a founder Chairperson of 'Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia'. This was a big event and created a lot of goodwill.

 Another important initiative by her is helping the retired senior officers of Army, Navy, Air Force of India to from 'Indo-Pak Soldiers' Initiative for Peace' in India and its counterpart in Pakistan. She led a delegation of India chapter of this organization to Pakistan in 2001 and was received very warmly in Pakistan. It was a sight for Gods to see, those who fought each other in three wars, now embracing each other and pledging to work for peace.

 South Asia Peace Conferences were also organized by her in Calcutta, Chennai & Jalandhar, attended by hundred delegates from Pakistan and planned strategies to work for peace and better understanding. She is a Bureau member of 'South Asians for Human Rights'.

 One of her major activity is to work for the cause of Tibet, through friendship associations. She has led a Satyagraha on Indo-Tibet border in 1997, organized and participated in conferences, marches, seminars, for the case of Tibet. She is close to H.H. Dalai Lama, who has blessed her peace initiatives. She attended world conference on Tibet in Berlin by Tibet Support Groups from more than 55 countries.

 She is also helping Burmese refugees and important personalities close to Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, by organizing and participating in conferences, seminars, marches to support the nonviolent movement for democracy in Burma.

 She attended Global Assembly of United Religions Initiative 2002 at Rio{Brazil} as Indian delegate and spoke on Gandhi. She unveiled the first statue of Gandhi in Bali {Indonesia} in Gandhi Ashram, Denpasar.

 Positions holding:

Committees

  1. Member, Standing Committee on Information & Broadcasting
  2. Member, Standing Committee on Rural Development
  3. Member, Central Social Welfare Board
  4. Member, Committee on Empowerment of Women

Others

  1. National President, Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj (ABRS)
  2. National President – Harijan Sevak Sangh (HSS)
  3. President, Gandhi Ashram Reconstruction Trust
  4. Chairperson, Association of Peoples of Asia (APA)
  5. Chairperson – India-Pakistan Forum of Parliamentarians  
  6. President, Indo-Pak Soldiers’ Initiative for Peace (IPSI) – Both of India and Pakistan
  7. Founder Trustee, Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA)
  8. President, Rashtriya Seva Samithi (RASS) Tirupati
  9. President, Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal (HVP),  Amravati, Maharashtra oldest organization of physical education and sports which has trained over 50,000 youth of all the States of India 
  10. President, Vinoba Janmasthan Pratishthan (Birthplace of Vinoba Bhave) Trust
  11. Chairperson, Bapu Sadhbhavana and Shiksha Trust
  12. Editor – Nityanutan – Hindi fortnightly
  13. Member, National Integration Council
  14. Member, Central Advisory Board of Education

AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST

 Wrote a novels in Hindi, one of which  entitled  "Chingling" was given National Award. Written novels, plays, travelogues, commentary on Isha Upanishad, biography of Vinoba Bhave published by National Book Trust, and other books. Was Editor of Maitri, a journal on service and spirituality, published from Paunar Ashram founded by Acharya Vinoba Bhave. Currently, editing  'Nityanutan', in Hindi from New Delhi and in some other Indian languages.

 TRAVELS

 Extensively traveled in India. Also visited Russia, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Brazil, United States, Canada & China.   

 Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj has been awarded ‘National Communal Harmony Award - 2004’ by the President of India.   

 Has been awarded  ‘Padma Vibhushan’

 Works done through Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj
Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj, a federation of Gandhian institutions and social workers was formed in 1982 under the leadership of veteran Gandhian and Parliamentarian Miss Nirmala Deshpande. The core of activities of the Samaj lies in the field of communal harmony and national integration.

The Samaj organized a campaign for peace and harmony in 1983, the peak period of terrorism in Punjab, taking two thousand workers from all parts of India and an equal number from Punjab joined them.  The Samaj has taken exemplary steps in promoting communal harmony and peace in the strife-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir and the message was reached to the grassroots level. The volunteers had done this at a great personal risk.

Another noteworthy effort of the Samaj was that of organizing a campaign for harmony & creating public opinion to save the Babri Masjid in Faizabad district, as much as being physically present to prevent the demolition of the Masjid. The work started by the Samaj is being continued in that area and a majority of Sants and Mahants are today supporting the cause of communal harmony and peace.

When inter-caste tensions broke out in Tamil Nadu, the Samaj organized padayatras, which helped in cooling down the situation.

The Samaj has organized big inter-faith - sarva-dharma- Conferences in various places like Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura, Rishikesh, Chitrakut, Jammu, Chennai and Aligarh. The conference in Aligarh Muslim University, first of its kind in hundred years,  with initiative taken by the Vice Chancellor was inaugurated by Dalai Lama. Prominent leaders from all religions present shared their messages.

During the Gujarat violence in 2002, the Samaj played a major role in reaching out to victims and organized peace marches.

The annual Conferences organized by the Samaj in different parts of the country have come to stay as permanent feature that promotes the cause of peace and harmony. Presidents, Prime Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers and other dignitaries address thousands of grassroots level social workers from every state at these events.

Empowerment of women through self-help groups and workshops, involvement of youth in national integration and poverty alleviation programs by giving land to the landless, employment generation through Khadi and Village Industries, building peoples' power in the villages through gramswarajya, and helping panchayati raj institutions are other activities the Samaj is engaged in. The Samaj has taken initiatives every time peace is disturbed and helped in restoring normalcy and helped the victims.

 In the field of education, it is running residential schools for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes children. Tribal girls are being educated in most difficult areas like Bastar, Sarguja of Chattisgarh, Gadhchiroli of Maharashtra, Koraput of Orissa, thus trying to reach out to the families in troubled areas, giving them the Gandhian alternative to get justice.

 People-to-people contacts are another area that the Samaj is specialized in. In collaboration with sister organizations - Association of Peoples of Asia (APA) - and Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA), it is organizing exchange visits between neighboring countries, especially Pakistan, for establishing and sustaining peace.

The multifarious activities of Akhil Bharat Rachanatmak Samaj have played a dominant role in influencing people at all levels and creating an increased awareness for communal harmony to ensure sustaining peace.

The Samaj believed in Confucian concept of ‘not cursing the darkness, but lighting a candle’, whenever and wherever needed.

 GANDHI ASHRAM RECONSTRUCTION TRUST, led Dr. Nirmala Deshpande (Didi), is a unique experiment in reviving the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and help in reconstructing Gandhian institutions to be self sustaining with the larger view of preserving the ideals of the Mahatma.

The proposed Center, at Gandhi Ashram Kingsway Camp, Delhi will provide facilities and guidance to individuals and groups who wish a quiet place for reflection and meditation. We will help you find the teachers or resources that you need for your retreat, or you may just want a little space and time. In addition we endeavor to promote interfaith understanding, while respecting the integrity and differences among the various faith traditions. We aim to do this without competing with established religious institutions. In fact, we encourage people who come here to be affiliated with a worshipping community.

The place for reflection and meditation. We will help you find the teachers or resources that you need for your retreat, or you may just want a little space and time. In addition we endeavor to promote interfaith understanding, while respecting the integrity and differences among the various faith traditions. We aim to do this without competing with established religious institutions. In fact, we encourage people who come here to be affiliated with a worshipping community.

  • A home and training center for Gandhian values (i.e. anything that leads us to truth and a more peaceful world

  • A center where anyone promoting positive transformation can host retreats

  • Continuation as a school for the underprivileged

  • A neutral ground where divergent viewpoints can be
    discussed.

  • A vocational institute for the poorest of the poor is being planned with a collaborative effort of  the Indian business community to further the pledge of affirmative action form the captains of industry.
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