Nirmalananda travelled to Trivandrum in response to the invitation of the Vedanta society of Trivandrum in 1911. There he stayed for some time and delivered several lectures. He travelled to Kanyakumari the same year. Early next year he went to Ootacamund in Nilgiris to preside over the third anniversary of Vivekananda Association, Kaity. He also met a disciple of Ramakrishna from Malabar, and on his invitation visited Vatakara in British Malabar. From there he travelled to Calicut; in 1914 he travelled to Ottapalam, which was to be his future place of work. He travelled once or twice a year to Kerala and Malabar to establishing ashramas, meet devotees and deliver lectures. When Vivekananda returned to India from West in 1897, Nirmalananda was very devoted to the leader and rendered many a service to him, like cooking for him, working as his private secretary and tending to his needs. Tulasi Maharaj arranged for the initiation of Shuddhananda, from Vivekananda., Tulasi often accompanied the leader in playing percussion instruments like Pakhawaj while the latter sang devotional songs. He was deeply affected by the demise of the latter in 1902. On 10 February 1901, when Vivekananda wanted to register the Ramakrishna Math as a Trust, while all other living disciples of Ramakrishna agreed, Nirmalananda and Adbhutananda refused to become Trustees. At Vivekananda's and other disciples' insistence Nirmalananda became the assistant secretary of the newly established Ramakrishna Math and Mission. After the demise of Vivekananda, Nirmalananda was sent to Americas by Brahmananda in 1903 upon a call from Abhedananda. He taught Yoga classes in New York, and started a Vedanta centre at Brooklyn. He also gave lectures and taught Sanskrit and the Upanishads. He stayed in America for two and half years, then returned to India, when Brahmananda called him for 'the regeneration of the Motherland'. Nirmalananda helped in developing and establishing the Ramakrishna Mission centres in Bangalore and Kerala. He was also instrumental in getting Sarada Devi to Bangalore Ramakrishna Math. In 1904 the Bangalore centre was established by Ramakrishnananda and an Ashrama was built there by Brahmananda, the then president. Nirmalananda was sent to head the Bangalore Ashrama in 1909.