Hey,

I’m Ritaja, and I have 18 years of experience in… being a student. That’s it, that’s all I’ve achieved so far. Since this is my first time introducing myself to the outside world, I found myself imagining what this world beyond the walls of my school might expect from me, or what kind of questions it might ask when it meets me — perhaps questions about my career, about what I’ve achieved, or what I do professionally. So, this is my answer for now.

Being a student has given me the chance not just to learn, but to explore, to stay curious, and to discover a few interests beyond the classroom. This page is a compilation of all those things I’ve engaged with over the past few years. 

I live in Pondicherry, but I was brought up in a typical Odia family full of Sanskrit scholars. Growing up in such a culturally rich environment, shaped my love for Indian art and literature. I studied at SAICE, the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, a school that encouraged me, or rather, opened doors for me, to explore myself in every possible direction. 

From kindergarten until maybe the 4th standard, I was rarely in class. You’d probably find me at the beach, collecting shells and sand to make collages with them when I got home. That’s what I’ve always been interested in, making art out of anything possible. My parents still can’t believe that I paint, draw, design, and dance. They often wonder where I got all this from, and honestly, so do I. No one in my family can even hold a pencil confidently to draw something, and yet somehow, here I am, doing all the things they never imagined I would.