From Soil to Sky: The Inspiring Journey of Ritupurna K.S. from a Farmer’s Daughter to Rolls-Royce Engineer

They say, “Where the soil is pure, the flight from there reaches the highest skies.”

Ritupurna K.S. grew up in such soil — in the narrow lanes of Kodagu village in Karnataka,where farmers working in the fields were her first “heroes.” 🌾 She often watched her father toil under the sun and wondered —“Why not create something that can ease their tired hands?”No one knew that this innocent thought would one day carry her name all the way to a company like Rolls-Royce.

Ritupurna dreamed of becoming a doctor.She studied hard, cleared NEET — but didn’t get a seat.Many people give up at that point. But she didn’t.

She said,

“If I can’t save lives, maybe I can make them easier.”

And that’s where her journey to become an engineer began.

When she entered college, one question kept circling in her mind —“Why is farming always so difficult?” For her project, she built a robot that could help farmers —it measured soil moisture, controlled irrigation, and automated several farm tasks.She presented this project at the INEX Conference (Goa),where teams from Singapore, Japan, China, and Russia competed —and she won Gold and Silver medals. 🏅

After that, she collaborated with NITK Surathkal on Robotic Surgery Research, and was selected for the Dakshina Kannada DC Fellowship,where only 15 students were chosen to work with the district administration on real-life projects.There, she helped design a Waste Management App.

There, she helped design a Waste Management App. They say,

“When your intent is clear, destiny itself carves the way.”

Her robot went on to win several competitions — and soon, the world took notice.

The Rolls-Royce team saw her project and recognized a visionary mind in that small-town girl.

At first, they rejected her internship application, but Rutupurna didn’t give up. She improved her work, tried again —and finally received an offer of ₹72 lakh per year from Rolls-Royce’s Jet Division.

Today, she works on the engines that cut through the skies, yet her roots remain firmly planted in the same soil from where she first looked up to the sky.

In December 2024, Rolls-Royce offered her a Pre-Placement in the Jet Engine Manufacturing Division. From January 2025, she worked for the company every night from midnight to 6 a.m.,and attended college during the day.In April 2025, impressed by her dedication, the company raised her package to ₹72.3 lakh per year.Soon, she will be joining Rolls-Royce’s Global Team in Texas, USA. 🇺🇸 Rutupurna’s story doesn’t teach us that “destiny changes,” it teaches us that

destiny is created.

She says —

“It was hard to step out of the lanes of my village,but I carried my soil with me every step of the way.”