Dakshineswar: Pravrajika Atmaprana, who was secretary of the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, New Delhi, for 28 years, died in the capital on Sunday after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 96 and had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease since 2010.

A disciple of Swami Shankarananda, who was president of the Ramakrishna Math, Belur, she had joined the order at the Sister Nivedita Girls' School in 1952. She was invested with sannyasa by Pravrajika Bharatiprana, the first president of the Sri Sarada Math, in 1960.

Pravrajika Atmaprana was appointed assistant secretary of the school in 1956 and served as its headmistress from 1968 to 1970. She became secretary of the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, New Delhi, in 1970 and held the office till 1998.

She was appointed a trustee to the Sri Sarada Math and a member of the governing body of the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission in 1973. She edited Samvit, the English journal of Sri Sarada Math, started in 1980.

A prolific writer, Pravrajika Atmaprana did extensive research on Sister Nivedita. She was Sister Nivedita's first biographer in English and received a national award for the book.

She also compiled The Complete Works of Sister Nivedita, published in 1967, and has other titles to her credit.

Pravrajika Atmaprana had a PhD in Sanskrit and was involved in the freedom movement. Known for her methodical, perfectionist approach, she served the order in many capacities.

Her father K.M. Munshi, the writer and freedom fighter who founded the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, was governor of Uttar Pradesh from 1952 to 1957.