New Delhi  - Noted Indian social activist and writer Nirmala Deshpande died in the national capital New Delhi on Thursday. She was 79.

Deshpande, a member of India's upper house of parliament was ill for the past few days and passed away in her sleep early Thursday morning.

"Deshpande had returned from Dhanbad (a city in eastern Bihar state) on Tuesday and had some gastric problems. She was suffering from fever from last evening," one of her close associates, Raj Shree, told the PTI news agency.

Deshpande, who wrote a number of fiction and non fiction books, was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and was best known for her efforts to promote Gandhian ideology and values.

She often spoke against communal violence and was involved in efforts to usher in peace between south Asian rivals India and Pakistan. (dpa)