Sountharya R
Sountharya R
From Agriculture to AI Innovator
Sountharya lives in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, with her parents and sister. Her father works as an assistant to a lawyer in a courthouse, her mother is a homemaker, and her sister serves as a forensic scientist in the Tamil Nadu government. Sountharya herself enrolled in the AIMD program at NSTI Chennai.
Initially, Sountharya studied agriculture and attempted government exams. When COVID disrupted her family’s income, she began freelancing—writing content and doing copywriting—to provide financial support. While studying agriculture, Sountharya found herself drawn to the intersection of technology and farming—unlike many peers who specialized in areas like entomology or biotechnology. Learning about precision farming powered by AI and ML captured her interest. When her sister noticed an advertisement for the AIMD course at NSTI Chennai, she encouraged Sountharya to enroll, and together they decided it was the right step forward.
Moving to Chennai, adapting to city life, and learning coding from scratch felt overwhelming at first. Many people doubted she could learn to code in just 7–8 months. Yet the well-structured curriculum and clear instruction of the AIMD program enabled her to progress steadily, building both skill and confidence. Early on, Sountharya learned to use Microsoft Office, Copilot, and Adobe Firefly—tools that helped bring visual creativity to her projects. She went on to master Python, Power BI, SQL, and Machine Learning, which she now uses with growing fluency.
Her most significant accomplishment is the “Helper for Farmers” app. Developed with Python, SQL, and Power BI, the app uses a ResNet-based computer vision model to detect crop diseases, recommends crops using soil and weather data, tracks market prices, and projects crop yields through interactive dashboards. This project represents the perfect blend of her agricultural roots and her new technical skills—delivering tangible value to farmers. Sountharya learned Design Thinking and Public Speaking. Though initially nervous about speaking in front of others, she gradually found her voice—leading her team through a design thinking activity and presenting their ideas with clarity. In a recent interview, her communication skills received praise—a moment that greatly strengthened her self-assurance. This growth was instrumental in her selection for a role as a Customer Support Executive at Omega Healthcare, with a CTC of over ₹2,50,000.
Sountharya aims to become an AI Engineer in the agricultural domain, creating scalable tools to support farmers. It’s a goal that aligns deeply with her values, and she is determined to achieve it with the support of her family.