Nirmalananda, born as Tulasi Charan Dutta in Calcutta, was a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, the 19th century mystic and Hindu saint from India, and took Sanyasa (monastic vows) from Vivekananda along with Brahmananda and others. He was initiated by Ramakrishna, on which fact a few later day antagonists tried to cast doubt in the Bangalore Court but into which question the Court refused to get into.