Ritaa Gnaniah

Rita Gnaniah grew up in Trichirapalli in South India and migrated to London in 1996 to join her husband who has a background in Colombo, Sri Lanka. They have one daughter and two sons. Rita works at a nursery, a job she also held in her home town, and she has volunteered at a Tamil refugee centre which supports newcomers in finding their routes into the British system. Kolam is a continuous part of Rita’s everyday life, and she draws designs at her door step during the summer season. She is appreciated as the local expert and facilitated Anna Laine’s research in London. During the public participatory kolam event, Rita had a central role in co-organising and sharing her skills.