Gavin Morgan

19 April, 2008

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED writer and artist Raman Mundair, who lives in Shetland, has had a stunning few months after being recognised alongside world class talent in two major arts events.

On Thursday, Ms Mundair narrowly missed out on joining the shortlist for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative which offered a chance to learn from the vast experience of Nobel Prize winning poet Wolé Soyinka.

This programme offers outstanding artistic talents, from six different disciplines, a year to develop their skills to the highest possible standard by collaborating with some of the most successful people in the arts world.

This year’s mentors include Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese for film and the highly influential Senegalese singer and percussionist Youssou N’Dour for music.

She was also awarded a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in December and will travel to France this October to study at an international arts centre originally established by the famous Scottish author.

Ms Mundair lives in Walls on the west side of Shetland. She first came north in 2002 when she worked for a year as the isles’ inaugural ‘writer in residence’ for a project funded by the Scottish Arts Council.

She moved back full time last year although she never lost contact when she left in 2003, visiting every second month and keeping close ties with her friends.

“The island itself really got under my skin. It was a real gift and blessing, I just knew it was home. I wrote a lot during that residency. Now I am back I feel very much bound to Shetland, in a very positive way,” she said.

Born in Ludhiana, India, she came to live in the UK at the age of five and spent her early years in Manchester, but she has “always had a thing about islands”.

The 36 year old author’s book of poems A Choreographer’s Cartography was published last year and contains 14 poems that feature or are written completely in Shetland dialect.

“I found myself playing with the dialect and that shows how much I feel embroiled in the culture of Shetland now.”

As well as being a poet and writer of short stories Ms Mundair is also a visual artist, with an innovative exhibition called ‘Here Now, There Now’ being displayed along major Scottish Rail routes from June.

Collaborating with artist and Creative Scotland award winner Pernille Spence, they have produced large site specific, visual art installations.

When she goes for her residency in France it will be at the Hôtel Chevillon at Grez-sur-Loing where the author of Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde set up a writers’ colony in the 1870s.

“For a writer it is a real honour to go and follow in his footsteps and also to be given space to make a new piece of work without any pressure. You don’t have to justify your presence there.”

In the Rolex mentor programme Ms Mundair was one of 22 writers put forward in the literature category by an anonymous panel of judges.

Despite the disappointment of not being chosen as one of the finalists, it was a major achievement to be nominated among such distinguished talents.

It will certainly not slow down the progress of her busy schedule or her prolific output with a new collection of short stories In The Light of Other out soon as well as her continued work on a novel and a new play.

“The play will look at how we seek to heal ourselves today. It is set against the backdrop of the pharmaceutical industry and will also deal with the ideals of our society.”