Kerala Varma Avargal, she is a granddaughter of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and belongs to the Travancore Royal Family. Her father Kerala Varma is an artist specializing in charcoal and pencil sketches while her son Jay Varma is a colored pencil artist.
Born as Bharani Thirunal Rukmini Bayi, Fourth Princess of Travancore to Princess Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi and Sri. Her great great grandfather was Raja Ravi Varma. Into the 1960s Mistress Varma became interested in dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali et cetera and performed on stage.
She also established her own dance school in 1965 in Bangalore.
She held several art exhibitions such as the "Conch and the Cauvery" exhibition of 1974 in Delhi which was opened by President V.V. Giri. She exhibited her paintings in London (1976, opened by Lord Mountbatten), Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay (1981), Bonn, Cologne and Neuenahr, Germany (1975) et cetera
She has appeared on the covers of several magazines such as the Vanitha (Malayalam). Rukmini Varma is a cousin of Shreekumar Varma.
Her brother Balagopal Varma is the current holder of the title of Elayaraja of Travancore.
In the 1970s she was a member of the advisory council for the Chittrakala Parishat of Bangalore and became a member of the advisory panel of Bid and Hammer Art Auctioneers in Bangalore.
