About Ritu

As a little girl, Ritu wrote on walls, furniture, old books, and new ones too. A total menace, her mom bought her a slate and chalk – to write and erase, write, and erase, write and erase. A logophile, attracted to the sound and musicality of words, she always read aloud, (with expressions), no matter the length of the book. And still does. A reader by habit, if words appear before her eyes, she reads them.

At the age of seven, while Ritu was standing before the painting of Guru Nanak Devji (the Founder of the Sikh religion), she engaged in conversation with her Guru. She asked Him why she was born and what was her purpose? That moment was a special one, at which she became aware that all humans are put on earth for a limited amount of time. With folded hands and closed eyes, she pledged to stay in close connection with Him and seek His guidance throughout the journey of life.

Although Punjabi was the spoken language at home, Ritu was not fluent in it.  Because she attended an all girls Convent school – Elementary to High in New Delhi, India, she did not have formal training in the language. But was determined to read her Holy Book – Sri Guru Granth Sahibjee and find a way to teach herself the language of her Gurus. She artfully summoned the help of the busy adults at home and realized her dream of learning Punjabi. Her picture books – Kara’s Dreams and I Am My Language are a direct inspiration from the scripture and her lived experiences. 

Little did she know this adoration with words would one day lead to the formation of an idea of her own book. And she would start calling herself a ‘Writer/Author.’ As a writer who writes every day, presently, Ritu is working on three picture books, one of which is expected to be published April 2024.  

Ritu lives an active life with her husband – hiking, running, golfing, meeting people and whatever else retired people do. They split their time in their dual homes – Sarasota, Florida and Sapphire, North Carolina. You can reach Ritu via the contact form on this website.