Prez Mukherjee condoles passing away of Sister Nirmala

President Pranab Mukherjee has condoled the passing away of Sister Nirmala.

"I am deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of Sister Nirmala. Sister Nirmala served the destitute and dying with great compassion and zeal. Hers was an inspiring and noble life dedicated to the service of the poor and underprivileged," he said in a condolence message to Sister Prema, the Superior General of Missionaries of Charity.

President Mukherjee further said that Sister Nirmala ably succeeded Mother Teresa as the Superior General of Missionaries of Charity and continued with important projects that had been initiated over the years.

"For her selfless and dedicated service to the needy, she was honoured with Padma Vibhushan in 2009. The dedication and devotion of this great soul to the cause of the suffering will always be remembered. Please accept my heartfelt condolences and convey them to other members of the Missionaries of Charity. I also pray for the peace of the departed soul," he added.

Nirmala Joshi, better known as Sister Nirmala had replaced Mother Teresa as the superior general in 1997.

Born to a Brahmin soldier in Ranchi hailing from Nepal, Sister Nirmala had joined the Order at the age of 17.

She has been succeeded by German-born Sister Mary Prema.

The mortal remains of Sister Nirmala will be kept in Kolkata's St John's Church till today morning.