Nirmala Joshi was an officer of the British Indian Army until the nation's independence in 1947. When she was one year old, her father brought the family to India. Although the family was Hindu, she was educated by Christian missionaries in Mount Carmel, Hazaribag. At that time, she learned of Mother Teresa's work and wanted to share in that service. She soon converted to Catholicism and joined the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa. Joshi completed a Master's degree in Political Science and then went on to secure a doctorate degree in law from the University of Calcutta. She was one
Missionaries in India Conversion a Reappraisal". The idea for the book came after Arun Shourie reviewed the history of Christianity following his participation in a catholic conference. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), the highest body of the Catholic Church in India, invited Arun Shourie to give a "Hindu assessment of the work of Christian missionaries" in a meeting held at the Ishvani Kendra Seminary at Pune on 5 January 1994. Many eminent archbishops, bishops, senior clergy and Christian scholars from all over India were also invited. Shourie was asked to write a paper so that it could be included in a