The intricate stories told in Rodrigues' portraits are matched by the rhythms and imagery in Fraser's poetry. From 'The Bangladeshi Gentleman' to 'Jura Whisky', this book offers an insight into the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures in today's Scotland. By peppering her poems with both Scots words and Indian words, Fraser demonstrates the bi-cultural nature of many of today's Scots.
In Ragas & Reels, Bashabi Fraser consolidates her reputation as one of the foremost poets of contemporary Scotland dealing with international themes and questions that arise in the full context of any national identity. - PROFESSOR ALAN RIACH
An illustrated collection of poems with forms and rhyme schemes as diverse as the people she writes about. - THE HERALD
They document the New Scots, among whom they number themselves, who have embraced tartan and whisky while bringing their own religious rituals and wedding traditions into our culture. - THE HERALD
Anyone who shares the authors' interest in multicultural Scotland will find much to delight and fascinate them here. - THE HERALD
The intricate stories told in Rodrigues' portraits are matched by the rhythm and imagery in Fraser's poetry. This book offers an insight into the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures in today's Scotland. By peppering her poems with both Scots words and Indian words, Fraser demonstrates the bi-cultural nature of many of today's Scots. - SCOTTISH REVIEW OF BOOKS
BASHABI FRASER is a transnational writer who lives and writes in Edinburgh. She is a poet, editor, children's writer, translator and critic. Her awards include the IAS Prize for Literary Services in Scotland in 2009. She has been widely published and amongst her recent publications are Scots Beneath the Banyan Tree: Stories from Bengal (2011); From the Ganga to the Tay ( 2009); Bengal Partition Stories: An Unclosed Chapter (2006; 2008), A Meeting of Two Minds: the Geddes Tagore Letters (2005) and Tartan & Turban (poetry collection, 2004). Her research and writing traverse continents and cross borders and boundaries. Bashabi is a Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University.
HERMANN RODRIGUES (b. 1961, Jaipur) has been documenting South Asian life in Scotland for twenty-two years. He is the proprietor of the award-winning restaurant Suruchi, where he has hosted Bollywood stars.