"Afternoon" is a captivating tale set in the late 60s, spanning the Bay Area, New York, Kashmir, and Delhi. Against the backdrop of momentous cultural, student, sexual, and intellectual revolutions of the time, the story follows a young student as he discovers the love of his life. In addition, it intertwines with the lives of two young women who cross paths with him at different points in their journeys.
One is a Kashmiri Muslim girl who, despite growing up in Delhi, carries cherished memories and impressions of her home state. The other is an American Field Service worker from the Upper East Side of New York whose life takes unforeseen turns during a brief visit to India.
The Afternoon best reflects how our choices and factors beyond our control shape our lives.
Praise for Afternoon
A riveting narration of one man's journey across borders, spanning a conflicted landscape of love, loss and courage to discover meaning in the parables of history
Ravi Shankar Etteth,
Author of The Tiger by the Tice, The Brahmin and Killing Time in DelhiNidhi Dalmia's imaginative writing set in Delhi, Kashmir, and Berkeley, USA, evokes nostalgia for another eram offering a poetic glimpse into the intensity of love and longing in the swinging sixties
Siddharth Kak
Popular Television Personality and AuthorRefreshing, vivid account of the protagonist growing up in New Delhi in the swinging ‘60s and travelling to the US, exploring human relations unselfconsciously. Great nostalgia for the ‘60s generations of young Indians and Americans.
Salman Khurshid
Author and former Indian Minister of External AffairsSynopsis of the book
Set in the Bay Area, New York, Kashmir and Delhi in the late 60s, intertwined with the significant cultural, student, sexual and intellectual revolutions taking place around that time, Afternoon is the story of a young student finding the love of his life and two young women whose lives intersect with his, at different points of time.
It is the story of a Kashmiri Muslim girl who visited regularly and carried memories and impressions of her home state but grew up in Delhi and was a typical Delhiite of the time.
The other one, an American Field Service worker from Upper East Side New York, finds life taking unexpected turns on a short field visit to India. Her visit confirms her decision to go to Berkeley instead of the Seven Sisters, where she was also admitted because of her academic brilliance.
The major political events at the time, the explosion of beautiful and timeless music and its interplay with their lives find expression in this narrative.
The Cold War mentality and way of looking at each other had not left either America or USSR. Conscription and a highly unpopular Viet Nam War were raging. Americans were misled about America winning the war. The establishment in Berkeley and elsewhere in California was determined to crush their movements.
There are threats to these relationships from other parties and events. There is jealousy and competition. The decisions involved in inter-continental relationships. The belief that there is nothing more important than love. The afternoon best reflects how our choices and factors beyond our control shape our lives.
About the Author
Nidhi Dalmia is an alumnus of St Stephen’s College, Delhi. He pursued his post-graduation at Oxford University and the Sorbonne, followed by post-experience management education at Harvard Business School. His professional life exposed him to diverse business responsibilities, especially in manufacturing. Born into one of India’s oldest industrialist families, Nidhi’s father, the late
Ramkrishna Dalmia was one of the top three industrialists in India for several decades. Although Nidhi was surrounded by a business and industry culture since childhood, he cherishes the spiritual environment in his home, where the Vedas and the Upanishads were a part of his homeschooling. Nidhi was on his college table tennis team at Oxford and enjoyed tennis and swimming. His interests include Cinema, Theatre, Opera and Western, Pop and Classical music. At heart, Nidhi is a wanderer and a romantic. He divides his time between Delhi and Paris.
Launch of HARP at the then-French Ambassador's residence in 2016
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Harp Nidhi Dalmia
Moving through India, Europe and USA, Harp follows the lives of three young people as they engage with cultural, sexual, and student revolutions and the music of the sixties. It is a story about love, longing & a young man searching for his true love