Nirmala Joshi of the first Sisters of the institute to head a foreign mission when she went to Panama. In 1976, Joshi started the contemplative branch of the Missionaries of Charity and remained at its head until 1997, when she was elected to succeed Mother Teresa as Superior General of the institute. The government of India bestowed the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, on Sister Joshi on Republic Day (26 January) 2009 for her services to the nation. Her term as Superior General ended on 25 March 2009, and she was succeeded by German born Sister Mary Prema Pierick. Joshi
Nirmala Rao Academy of the Social Sciences in 2003. Nirmala Rao Nirmala Rao (born 1959, Hyderabad, India) is a British academic and the current vice chancellor of Asian University for Women, Chittagong, Bangladesh from 1 February 2017. She served as Pro-Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London from 2008 to 2016. Rao was born in 1959 in Hyderabad, India. Rao served as a Governor of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance. In the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours, Rao was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to