Rukmini Varma is an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n artist based in Bangalore

Bangalore

Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

. Born as H.H. Bharani Thirunal Rukmini Bayi, Fourth Princess of Travancore

Travancore

Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...

 to H.H. Princess Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi and Sri. Kerala Varma Avargal, she is a granddaughter of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi

Sethu Lakshmi Bayi

Maharani Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi CI was the ruler of Travancore as regent for her nephew, Chithira Tirunal from 1924 until late 1931...

 and belongs to the Travancore Royal Family

Travancore Royal Family

The Travancore Royal Family descended from the Venad line of the Cheras and ruled over the Indian state of Travancore until 1947.The Royal family, alternatively known as the Kupaka Royal Family, Thripappur Swaroopam, Venad Swaroopam, Vanchi Swaroopam etc., has its seat today at Trivandrum in...

. Her great great grandfather was Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana...

. Her father Kerala Varma is an artist specializing in charcoal and pencil sketches while her son Jay Varma is a colored pencil artist.

Into the 1960s Mrs. Varma became interested in dance forms like Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam

Bharata Natyam or Chadhir Attam, is a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. The dance is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music...

, Kathak

Kathak

Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh, India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers...

, Kathakali

Kathakali

Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...

 etc. and has performed on stage. She also established her own dance school in 1965 in Bangalore. She has held several art exhibitions such as the "Conch and the Cauvery" exhibition of 1974 in Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

 which was opened by President V.V. Giri. She has exhibited her paintings in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 (1976, opened by Lord Mountbatten), Jehangir Art Gallery

Jehangir Art Gallery

The Jehangir Art Gallery is Mumbai ’s most famous art gallery and a tourist attraction. It was founded by Sir Cowasji Jehangir at the urging of K. K. Hebbar and Homi Bhabha. It was built in 1952...

, Bombay (1981), Bonn

Bonn

Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....

, Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

 and Neuenahr, Germany (1975) etc.

In the 1970s she was a member of the advisory council for the Chittrakala Parishat of Bangalore

Bangalore

Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

 and recently she has become a member of the advisory panel of Bid and Hammer Art Auctioneers in Bangalore. She has also appeared on the covers of several magazines such as the Vanitha (Malayalam).

Rukmini Varma is a cousin of Shreekumar Varma

Shreekumar Varma

Shreekumar Varma is an Indian author, playwright, newspaper columnist and poet, known for the novels Lament of Mohini , Maria's Room , Devil's Garden: Tales Of Pappudom , The Magic Store of Nu-Cham-Vu and the historical book for children, Pazhassi Raja: The Royal Rebel...

. She is married to Deviprasad Varma and has two sons.