Rukmini comes from Thoranagatti, a small village in Belgaum district. Born and brought up there, she left her hometown to pursue a Master’s in Social Work at Mumbai University. She has engaged with several field projects as part of her training. Rukmini began her journey at Samvada as a student. In an attempt to explore different avenues, she completed a Diploma in Journalism from Baduku Community college and worked for TV9 Breaking News Department. However, the discriminatory practices within the media industry and the futility of show business made her come back to the field of Social work. It is also during this time that Rukmini completed the Youth Work course at Samvada. In the absence of any guidance or support during her own youthhood, she understood the need for working with youth. And hence after the course, she joined Samvada as a youth mentor in the Gulbarga YRC. Rukmini is also an avid reader and loves to read Kannada literature and poetry.