Agartala (AsiaNews/ Ucan) - Sister Nirmala Joshi, head of the Missionaries of Charity, called for people to foster peace through small acts of love in a visit to the troubled Tripura state.

The 70-year-old nun, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta's successor as head of the congregation by the blessed founded in India, says little acts of love, compassion and kindness would contribute to peace.

"Works of love are works of peace,"  Sr. Nirmala  quoted her founder at the June 20th reception in the Tripura state capital of Agartala, 2,585 kilometers east of New Delhi in honor of her first visit.

Tripura is among those states in the North Eastern region that face fighting among tribal groups as well as secessionist struggles. Tribal groups resent the influx of outsiders, mainly from Bangladesh, which almost surrounds the state, and  clashes kill hundreds of people annually.

"Stop killing and start loving," Sister Nirmala told those gathered. "Violence can never bring a meaningful solution to the problems," she said in a message to those resorting to bloodshed to achieve their demands.

Though she termed her visit "private," the nun who formerly headed her congregation's contemplative wing, used the occasion to encourage people to become sensitive to the needs of the poorest of the poor.

She told the people that God comes to them in the form of the hungry, abandoned, unloved and homeless. "We must pray for eyes that can see and hearts that can respond in love to the needs of others," she said. Sister Nirmala, whose religious name means "immaculate," maintained that love has a "tremendous" power to "touch hearts and generate peace."

Later when the press questioned her about poverty, Sister Nirmala said, "We are not called to eradicate poverty, but we are called to love the poor."

Missionaries of Charity nuns run two institutions in Tripura -- Nirmala Shishu Bhavan in Agartala and a rehabilitation center for leprosy patients in Kumarghat. Blessed Teresa founded both. Sister Nirmala took over as the head of the congregation in 1997, six months before Blessed Teresa died.

She said she came to Tripura to thank the state's people for their support of the sisters' work.

Bishop Lumen Monteiro of Agartala called Sister Nirmala's visit a blessing and lauded her nuns' "admirable service."

The congregation now has 4,400 nuns in 703 houses working in 127 countries. It is based in Kolkata, (Calcutta) eastern India.