Maharajkumari Mrunaliniraje Gaekwad (later Mrunalini Devi Puar of Dhar) was born on 25th June 1931 in Baroda as the eldest daughter of Maharaja Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad and Maharani Shantadevi. Her early years were shaped by longstanding commitment to progressive reforms, including a strong emphasis on education and elevated roles for women laid down by her progressive great-grand parents Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III and Maharani Chimnabai II.

She received her schooling at the Motibag Prince's school along with her siblings. She received her B.Sc. in Food and Nutrition at the Faculty of Family and Community sciences from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (1970) and M. Sc. from Iowa State University of Science & Technology (1972), Ames, Iowa, USA. She went on to complete her Ph.D. (Food & Nutrition) from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (1984). Additionally, she possessed an Applied Nutrition Certificate (Postgraduate) from National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, a Registered Dietician Certificate from Indian Dietetic Association. She knew English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and Sanskrit.

Dr. Mrunalini Devi Puar was appointed as the Chancellor of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU) in 1988, succeeding her brother, Fatehsinhrao Gaekwad, who had held the position until his death earlier that year. Her appointment marked her as the first woman to serve in this role at the university, a position she maintained for 26 years until 2015. In her capacity as Chancellor, Puar functioned primarily as the ceremonial head of the institution, while also offering advisory guidance to its governance structures amid the challenges of India's post-independence educational landscape, including the university's efforts to expand access and infrastructure following its establishment in 1949.This tenure was underpinned by her strong personal connections to MSU, rooted in her Gaekwad royal heritage as a member of the Baroda princely family and her status as an alumna, having completed her Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition there.

She had received the award and citation of 'Outstanding Chancellor' at World Chancellors' and Vice Chancellors' Congress, Mumbai held in 2014. More than 107 countries had participated in this Congress. She had received the Smt. Itchagauri Naik Gold Medal for standing first class first in B.Sc. (Home), and The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Merit Scholarships for standing first in all eight undergraduate semester examinations. She had also been honoured with the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (Gujarat Branch) Merit Certification, the Mary Hunter Scholar of the P.E.O Sisterhood, U.S.A., P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship for postgraduate studies at lowa State University of Science and Technology, U.S.A., and the Senior Research Fellowship, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi.

Her Memberships by invitation included the SIGMA XI - The Scientific Research Society of North American, and the IOTA SIGMA PI- The National Chemical Honor Society for Women, U.S.A. She had received the Outstanding Woman Achiever Award of the All-Indian Management Association. She was conferred 'Associateship' of the Nutrition foundation of India, New Delhi, and the 'Alumni Achievement Award' of the Department of Food and Nutrition, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.

She had more than 12 years of teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in nutrition, food science, biochemistry, physiology, statistics and research methods, and guiding research of postgraduate students. As a Senior Research Fellow of the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, she researched on "Trace Element Availability of Indian Diets" at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad (1976-1982). She has conducted several communities and experimental (laboratory) research projects and surveys in nutrition, dietetics, education, food habits, family welfare, and culture.

Some of these were sponsored by the International Federation for Home Economics, the Nutrition Foundation of India, University Grants Commission, Indian Council of Medical Research and other national/governmental agencies, NGOs, and industries. She had served as Member of the Commission on Education and Training, the International Union for Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources (IUCNNR), Switzerland, and as Chairperson, Food & Nutrition Programme Committee, International Federation for Home Economics (IFHM), France. She was also Member of the Steering group on Nutrition, Planning Commission, Government of India, and on the Governing Body, Institute of Home Economics, New Delhi. She was also a Member of the Advisory Committee for the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, New Delhi; the Food and Nutrition Council, Government of India, and a Governing Body member of the Nutrition Foundation of India, New Delhi.

She was on the Faculty Board of Studies of Home Science (now Family and Community Sciences), The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. She was also on the prestigious Programme Committee on Women and Families in Development, IFHE, Paris, France; and Trustee, Gopalan Oration Trust, Hyderabad. She also served as an Expert on the Selection Committees for appointment of University Teachers and Ph.D. supervisors at Nagpur and Amravati Universities. She was the Dietetic Counsellor to Shree Maharani Shantadevi Trust, Vadodara, and the Diabetes Association of Baroda. She has published several research and popular articles in national and International Journals of repute. She had contributed a recipe to the "Family Favourites", Celebrity Cookbook published by the Vienna NGO Committee on the Family - in cooperation with the UN Secretariat for the International Year of the Family, Vienna, 1994.

Dr. Puar died on 2 January 2015 following a short illness.