Nirmala Deshpande (19 October 1929 – 1 May 2008) was a noted Indian social activist who had embraced Gandhian philosophy.
She devoted her adult life to promotion of communal harmony and service to women, tribal people, and the dispossessed in India.She was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of India in 2006.
and was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz posthumously by Pakistan in 2010