Sister Nirmala, who succeeded Mother Teresa as the head of the Missionaries of Charity died this morning in Kolkata. She was 81.
The Missionaries of Charity was founded in 1950 by the Nobel laureate in Kolkata.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to her on Twitter.
Sister Nirmala's life was devoted to service, caring for the poor & underprivileged. Saddened by her demise. May her soul rest in peace.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2015
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted, "Saddened at the passing of Sister Nirmala who headed Missionaries of Charity after Mother Teresa. Kolkata and the world will miss her."
Sister Nirmala had headed the Missionaries of Charity since Mother Teresa's death in 1997 up until 2009.
She was born Nirmala Joshi in 1934 in Ranchi, Bihar (now capital of Jharkhand state). During her education at the Christian missionaries in Patna, Joshi learned of Mother Teresa's work and wanted to assist her.
She had a Master's degree in Political Science and additional training as a lawyer. She was one of the first Sisters of the institute to head a foreign mission when she went to Panama.
In 2009, the government of India bestowed the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, on Sister Nirmala during Republic Day (January 26).
Sister Nirmala's term as Superior General ended on March 25, 2009, and she was succeeded by German-born Sister Mary Prema Pierick, M.C.
Following the news of her death, social media poured with tributes.
Saddened by the news of the demise of Sister Nirmala. My condolences to her loved ones and the Missionaries of Charity. R.I.P
— Naveen Jindal (@MPNaveenJindal) June 23, 2015
Deeply saddened by the death of Sister NIRMALA who was Mother Teresa's successor at the Missionaries of Charity. RIP.
— SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) June 23, 2015
Extremely saddened at the passing away of Sister Nirmala.She carried forward Mother Teresa's work with quiet dedication &dignity(1/2)
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 23, 2015
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