Noted Gandhian and Rajya Sabha member Nirmala Deshpande breathed her last on Thursday morning at her Shahjahan Road residence here. Having spent a lifetime promoting Gandhian ideals, Deshpande did not let go of her ideals even in her death. On Friday morning, she will be cremated at the hands of a young girl from Uttar Pradesh.

Co-worker Shivnath Ram said Deshpande wanted her last rites to be performed by a girl and even chose 11-year-old Shambhavi Mishra from Allahabad for the job. Shambhavi’s father, Vibhuti Mishra, runs an NGO and was close to Deshpande. “Didi loved all children as her own, but shared a special bond with Shambhavi,” he added.

Shivnath said the 79-year-old Deshpande was suffering from fever for the past couple of days. She was found lifeless in her room early on Thursday morning.

President Pratibha Patil, in her message from Thiruvananthapuram, expressed deep sorrow over the demise of Deshpande, who she described as an eminent freedom fighter and social worker. Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were among the first to pay floral tributes to the departed freedom fighter at her residence. In his message, the Prime Minister described Deshpande as a “living Gandhian”.

Condoling her death, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said she was a person of rare courage and compassion. “For me personally, Nirmalaji was an abiding and cherished source of guidance, support and steadfast friendship, whose loss leaves a void that will be hard to fill,” she said in her condolence message.

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